World Vision urges world leaders to keep their promises at global summit
It’s day 2 in New York, where world leaders have gathered for a three-day review of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): a set of eight promises aimed at halving global poverty by 2015.
Although many of the targets are on track, MDGs 4 and 5 — to drastically reduce child and maternal deaths — are lagging furthest behind.
Child Health Now
With ten years gone and five years left, almost nine million children still die each year from wholly preventable diseases like diarrhoea and pneumonia.
Through World Vision’s Child Health Now campaign, the charity is urging world leaders to make a renewed commitment to the promises made on child and maternal health.
Silent emergency
On 21st September, heads of the world’s leading child-focused charities will join World Vision in hosting a debate to highlight the silent emergency of the tens of thousands of under-fives who die each and every day.
Kevin Jenkins, CEO of World Vision International, is speaking at the event and will announce World Vision’s commitment of $1.5 billion towards reaching the world’s poorest children who are most at risk from killer childhood illnesses like malaria.
Queen’s Speech
The debate will launch with the ‘Queen’s speech’, the story of a little girl living in Malawi who has experienced the tragedy of losing her friends to the disease.
Ahead of the debate, Kevin said: ‘When it comes to child mortality, we are only one third of the way there. That’s why we must redouble our efforts and make child health a priority. The reason for this tragic state of affairs is simple. Up to now, there has been a shameful lack of political will to carry through on repeated promises to help the world’s helpless and most at risk.’
Find out more about our global Child Health Now campaign
