A stunning decline in the health of women, children and adolescents revealed in a new UN analysis

The report provides extensive evidence that children and adolescents face vastly different chances of leading healthy lives simply based on where they are born, their exposure to conflict, and their families’ economic circumstances. For example:

• A child born in a low-income country has an average life expectancy at birth of about 63 years, compared to 80 in a high-income country. This devastating 17-year survival gap has changed little in recent years. In 2020, 5 million children died before they were even 5 years old, mostly from preventable or treatable causes. Meanwhile, the majority of maternal, child and adolescent deaths and stillbirths are concentrated in just two regions – sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
• More than 45 million children were acutely malnourished in 2020, a life-threatening condition that leaves them vulnerable to death, developmental delays and disease. Almost three quarters of these children live in lower middle income countries. A staggering 149 million children were stunted in 2020. Africa is the only region where the number of children affected by stunting has increased over the past 20 years, from 54.4 million in 2000 to 61.4 million in 2020.
• The six countries with the largest number of internally displaced people – Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen – are also among the top 10 most food insecure countries.
• A woman in sub-Saharan Africa has about 130 times the risk of dying from causes related to pregnancy or childbirth than a woman in Europe or North America. Coverage of antenatal care, skilled birth attendants and postnatal care is far from reaching all women in low- and middle-income countries, leaving them at increased risk of death and disability.
• Millions of children and their families are experiencing poor physical and mental health due to recent humanitarian disasters in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Somalia, Ukraine and Yemen. In 2021, a record 89.3 million people worldwide were driven from their homes by war, violence, persecution and human rights violations.

The report calls on the global community to address this harmful trajectory and protect the promises made to women, children and adolescents under the Sustainable Development Goals. In particular, she advocates for countries to continue investing in health services, to address all crises and food insecurity, and to empower women and young people around the world.

The report entitled Protect the promise, published by global partners, including WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) and Countdown to 2030, as a biennial summary of progress in response to the UN Secretary-General’s Every Woman, Every Child Global Strategy for Women’s Health , children and adolescents. The most comprehensive synthesis of evidence on the current state of maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health, updates the latest Every Woman Every Child Global Strategy Progress Report published in 2020.

Citation sheet:

“Nearly three years after the onset of COVID-19, the long-term impact of the pandemic on the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents is becoming apparent: their chances for healthy and productive lives have plummeted,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “As the world emerges from the pandemic, protecting and promoting the health of women, children and youth is critical to supporting and sustaining the global recovery.”

“The impacts of COVID-19, conflict and climate crises have raised the stakes for vulnerable communities, exposing weaknesses and inequalities in health care systems and undoing hard-won progress for women, children and adolescents – but we are not powerless to change this,” said UNICEF Executive Director and Catherine Russell. “By investing in resilient, inclusive primary care systems, launching routine immunization programs and strengthening the health workforce, we can ensure that every woman and every child has access to the care they need to survive and thrive.”

“There is a crisis of inequality that is piling on top of already growing threats. In a world where too many children, adolescents and women are dying, equality, empowerment and access are what need to be urgently focused on,” said H.E. Ms. Kersti Kaljulaid, Global Advocate for Every Woman and Every Child and President of the Republic of Estonia, 2016 2021 “We call on everyone to think and act broadly and thoroughly to protect the promise. This promise is not only about the commitments made under the Sustainable Development Goals and all the campaigns that have followed, but also about the greater promise of the potential that everyone is born with. Too often this promise remains untapped or even withheld.”

“Faced with increasing political pressure against sexual and reproductive health and rights in many countries, women, children and adolescents today are left without many of the protections of just a decade ago, and many others still have not seen the progress they need,” she said. is Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of UNFPA. “Access to sexual and reproductive health services, including contraception, is a fundamental right that directly and acutely affects the ability of women and adolescent girls to thrive. We must extend these rights and services to the most marginalized, leaving no one behind.”

“The report advocates for countries to continue investing in health services, in all crises, and to reimagine health systems that can truly reach every woman, child and adolescent, no matter who they are or where they live,” said Rt. Hon Helen Clark, Chair of the Board of PMNCH (Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health) and former Prime Minister of New Zealand. “Experts and world leaders are calling for more women in politics and decision-making at all levels, meaningful engagement with youth, and primary health care systems that deliver what people need when and where they need it most.”

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Notes to the editor:

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The report will be presented at the World Health Summit in Berlin on 18 October 2022 at 9am GMT+2 in a session where world leaders and youth will discuss the findings. The session can be joined in person or virtually.

Speakers include:

• Cape. the Honorable Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and Chair of the PMNCH Board (@HelenClarkNZ)
• Her. Kersti Kaljulaid, former President of Estonia and UN Director-General Global Advocate for Every Woman and Every Child (@KerstiKaljulaid)
• dr. Austin Demby, Minister of Health and Sanitation, Sierra Leone (@mohs_sl)
• Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO (@DrTedros)
• Aboubacar Kampo, Director of Health, UNICEF (@AbouKampo)
• Natalia Kanem, Executive Director, UNFPA (@Atayeshe)
• Anshu Banerjee, Director of the Division of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Aging, WHO (@ABanerjeeWHO)
• Yana Panfilova, founder of Teenergizer, activist and Ukrainian refugee (@YPanfilova)
• Elhadj As Sy, Chairman of the Board, Kofi Annan Foundation (@The_As_Syy)
• Inger Ashing, executive director of Save the Children International (@SaveCEO_Intl)
• Maziko Matemvu, President and Founder, Uwale (@makizogovori)
• Loyce Pace, Assistant Secretary for Global Affairs, US Department of Health and Human Services (@HHS_ASGA)