PRNewswire - December 10, 2007

Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children Statistical Review is the sixth in a series of Progress for Children reports released by UNICEF, and the most comprehensive in scope since the series was launched in 2004.

"The statistics contained in this report show that real progress is being made to create a world truly fit for children," said Caryl M. Stern, president and CEO, U.S. Fund for UNICEF. "The true spirit of this holiday season calls for meaningful reflection and while we are making advances for child survival, so much more needs to be done. With public support, we will continue to do whatever it takes to save a child."

Following the recent announcement that in 2006 the number of children under-five who die before their fifth birthday declined below 10 million for the first time in recent history, Progress for Children provides data on measures that contribute to improvements in child health, including those that could lead to further reductions in under-five mortality over coming years.

The findings of the report include the following:

-- Between 1990 and 2004 more than 1.2 billion people gained access to safe drinking water.

-- Between 1996 and 2000, rates of early and exclusive breastfeeding -- a behavior that has the potential to avert 13 percent of all under-five deaths in developing countries -- have increased in many countries around the world. Seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa saw 20 percent increases in early and exclusive breastfeeding.

-- Malaria-affected countries have expanded the use of insecticide-treated nets among children, with many of these countries at least tripling coverage since 2000.

-- Access to antiretrovirals that reduce the risk of the transmission of HIV and AIDS from mothers to infants increased from 7 to 11 percent for infected women in low- and middle-income countries between 2004 and 2005. Access to antiretroviral treatment for children also increased in much of the world.

-- More than four times as many children received the recommended two doses of Vitamin A supplementation in 2005 than in 1999. Vitamin A supplementation reduces a child's risk of mortality from common illnesses.

In addition to progress in child survival, progress has also been made in education, gender equality and child protection.

Increases in school enrolment and attendance reduced the number of primary-school-age children out of school by around 20 percent between 2002 and 2006.

And while girls still remain disadvantaged in some areas, the gender gap in primary and secondary education is closing, with two-thirds of the world achieving gender parity in primary education by 2005.

While the pace of change is slow, the report finds that the harmful practice of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) has declined over the past 15 years, and that child marriage is becoming less common.

Alongside these successes for children, Progress for Children also provides statistics that give no cause for celebration. For example:

-- While the prevalence of underweight children has declined from 32 to 27 percent in the developing world since 1990, an alarming number of children under-five -- 143 million -- still suffer undernutrition, with more than half of them in South Asia;

-- Treatment coverage for major childhood diseases, such as pneumonia and malaria, has been slow to expand. Pneumonia and malaria together account for 27 percent of all under-five deaths each year.

-- More than 500,000 women still die every year as a result of complications during pregnancy and childbirth. About half of these deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa, where a pregnant woman has a 1 in 22 chance of dying, compared to 1 in 8,000 in industrialized countries.

-- A lack of basic sanitation, along with poor hygiene and unsafe drinking water, still contribute to the deaths of more than 1.5 million children from diarrhoeal diseases each year. In 2004, 41 percent of the world's population -- 2.6 billion people -- did not use improved sanitation facilities. While some progress has been made since 1990, keeping pace with population growth remains a major challenge.

-- In many countries, new HIV and AIDS infections are heavily concentrated among young people, who accounted for 40 percent of the 4.3 million new HIV infections in 2006. Yet this vulnerable group still lacks accurate knowledge about HIV and prevention.

Information on the data:

The data and analysis in Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children Statistical Review are based on the ongoing work of UNICEF and its partners to monitor global conditions for women and children. They derive largely from information in UNICEF's global databases, including data from an unprecedented number of household surveys conducted during 2005-2006, notably the UNICEF-supported Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) and the USAID-supported Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), among other data.

Background

Progress for Children is being issued the day before a UN General Assembly Special Session that will follow up on the recommendations made in the outcome document of the 2002 Special Session on Children, entitled A World Fit for Children.

About UNICEF

For more than 60 years, UNICEF has been the world's leading international children's organization, working in over 150 countries to address the ongoing issues that affect why kids are dying. UNICEF provides lifesaving nutrition, clean water, education, protection and emergency response saving more young lives than any other humanitarian organization in the world. While millions of children die every year of preventable causes like dehydration, upper respiratory infections and measles, UNICEF, with the support of partnering organizations and donors alike, has the global experience, resources and reach to give children the best hope of survival. For more information about UNICEF, please visit www.unicefusa.org.

Source: U.S. Fund for UNICEF

CONTACT: Richard Alleyne, U.S. Fund for UNICEF; +1-212-880-9177, ralleyne@unicefusa.org

Web site: http://www.unicefusa.org/

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