The focus of this business plan

The Department for International Development’s (DFID) business plan will focus on reproductive, maternal and newborn health. Millennium Development Goal (MDG) five is the most off-track of the MDGs. MDG 4 is also off-track although progress is being made in reducing child mortality through interventions such as immunisation. Yet nearly 40% of deaths of children under five years old occur in the first month of life and this proportion is increasing as we make progress at the older ages. Preventing unintended pregnancies and ensuring pregnancy and childbirth is safe for all women and babies will make a vital contribution to achieving MDG 4 as well as MDG 5.

This does not mean that DFID is moving away from our strong support to child health or from the importance of supporting the continuum of care. At the recent G8 meeting, the Prime Minister worked with other G8 leaders to ensure the world continues to deliver on its commitments to cut the number of mothers and babies dying during pregnancy and childbirth and continues to make progress on reducing child mortality. The G8 delivered a significant boost to improving maternal, newborn and child health. The Muskoka Initiative will prevent 1.3 million under five deaths, 64,000 maternal deaths and enable an additional 12 million women to have access to modern family planning.

There are numerous ways in which DFID demonstrates its commitment to child health. We are increasing our support to the prevention and treatment of malaria which is the cause of up to one in five child deaths in Africa. We are supporting immunisation of children under five against childhood diseases, backed by £150 million over 10 years to the GAVI Alliance. We work to tackle under nutrition, which contributes to one third of child deaths as well as one fifth of maternal deaths.

Read further information about child health and DFID’s work in this area

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