ReliefWeb

INTRODUCTION

A child’s chance to survive and thrive is much greater in 2015 than it was when the global community committed to the MDGs in 2000.

Data show significant progress in areas such as child survival, nutrition, motherto-child transmission of HIV and primary school enrolment, among others. These are impressive achievements, but they are only part of the story.

This report also shows progress for the most vulnerable, proving that a more equitable world is within reach. But despite this progress, millions of the children in greatest need have been left behind – the most marginalized and vulnerable children whose future the MDGs were designed to safeguard.

Children from the poorest households, for example, are one third as likely to be born with a skilled birth attendant present and two times as likely to die before their fifth birthday as children from the richest households. They are also far less likely to achieve minimum learning standards.

Leaving these children behind has serious consequences – both for their lives and for the long-term strength and stability of their countries.

The world has a chance to greatly reduce unequal opportunity among children within a generation – if we address the underlying drivers of disadvantage. This means investing in equity-focused programmes and policies, based on robust data that identify the children missing out. And it means more innovative thinking, better methods for community engagement and stronger systems for health, education and protection.

As we learn from the successes and failures of the last 15 years and set a course for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, we face a choice: Focus on reaching the hardest-to-reach children or fail them yet again? Making the right choice now is our best chance at a sustainable future for generations to come.