Countdown to 2015
UNICEF, Tracking Progress in Maternal, Newborn & Child Survival, The 2008 Report, V2.
The Countdown to 2015 global initiative was formed in 2005 with the aim of holding governments accountable for their commitments to achieving the Millennium Development Goal related to child mortality (MDG 4). This global initiative was subsequently expanded to monitor progress in maternal health (MDG 5).
MDG 4 - Reduce by two thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate.
MDG 5 - Reduce by three quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio.
Countdown to 2015 brings together partner organizations with a shared commitment to support countries as they work toward achieving these goals. These various partners include UN and multilateral agencies, non-governmental organizations, health professional associations, bilateral donors and foundations, and academic and research institutions.
It was agreed that a global conference should be convened every two to three years through the year 2015, when the MDGs are to be met, in order to bring together scientists, policy makers, activists and programme personnel to review countries' progress in equitably scaling-up key interventions to achieve these goals; to identify barriers to such progress and how these can be addressed; and to share new information and research results.
Figure 1: The 60 priority countries in 2005 (red). The 8 priority countries added in 2008 (yellow): Bolivia, Eritrea, Guatemala, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Morocco, Peru.
68 Countdown Priority Countries
In 2005, the Countdown effort identified 60 priority countries with the highest numbers and/or rates of child deaths. With the expansion of the Countdown effort to focus on maternal mortality, this list was expanded to include countries with the highest numbers and/or rates of maternal deaths. There are now 68 priority countries.
Monitoring progress through the Countdown effort
Key interventions monitored by the Countdown effort include those identified by The Lancet series on
child survival (2003 and 2006), The Lancet series on newborn health and The Lancet series on maternal mortality (2007) as having the potential to save the greatest number of lives. To achieve the MDG 4 and MDG 5, it is critical to closely monitor coverage and progress in these key interventions.
To this end, it was agreed that a full assessment report would be prepared for each of the Countdown conferences. These reports are to measure progress in expanding the coverage of key interventions and to appraise country-specific improvements through a series of profiles.
The 2005 Countdown Report was made available at the first conference in London, England, in December 2005. The second report, along with country profiles, was released in April 2008 during the Countdown to 2015 conference in Cape Town, South Africa.
References
UNICEF, Tracking Progress in Maternal, Newborn & Child Survival, The 2008 Report, V2.
UNICEF, Tracking Progress in Child Survival; The 2005 Report.
The Lancet, Series on Child Survival, 2003.
The Lancet, Neonatal Survival Series, 2005.
The Lancet, Maternal Series, 2007.
Countdown to 2015 (Global Initiative external website)