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UNICEF's Peter Salama Presents an Overview of the State of the World's Children
On March 10, the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health hosted Peter Salama, MD, global chief of Health for UNICEF in New York, at the Mailman School to discuss UNICEF's groundbreaking report, The State of the World's Children 2008.
Published in January 2008, the report examines the current state of child survival and primary healthcare for mothers, newborns and children, and outlines strategies for reducing death in children under the age of five and for providing a continuum of care.
According to Dr. Salama, the issues covered serve as sensitive barometers of a country's development and well-being and as evidence of its priorities and values. "Investing in the health of children and their mothers is a human rights imperative and one of the surest ways for a country to set its course towards a better future," said Dr. Salama.
The new information in The State of the World's Children 2008 is drawn from household survey data as well as material from key partners, including the World Health Organization and the World Bank.
According to the report, community-level integration of essential services for mothers, newborns, and young children, and sustainable improvements in national health systems can save the lives of many of the more than 26,000 children under five who die each day. The report describes the impact of simple, affordable, life-saving measures such as exclusive breastfeeding, immunization, insecticide-treated bed nets, and vitamin A supplementation, all of which have helped to reduce child deaths in recent years.
UNICEF believes that the political leaders of the G8 industrialized nations must address child health as not just a moral imperative but also a development priority.
UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.
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