27 September 825 days, and counting By Kristin Taylor When global leaders gathered at the Millennium Summit in 2000,

, they had big plans for the worlds future. Adopting the United Nations Millennium Declaration, they committed their nations to the achievement of eight significant development advancements by a deadline of 2015 the MDGs. Improvements for women and children were considered no small priority. MDG 4 sets out to reduce the worlds 1990 mortality rate of children under 5 years old by two thirds by the 2015 deadline, while MDG 5 aims to cut the worlds maternal mortality ratio by three quarters within the same timeframe. The goals were and are ambitious, but they have been pivotal in spurring the world to achieve significant gains for women and children. For children under 5, the mortality rate decreased from 90 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 48 per 1,000 live births in 2012, meaning 17,000 fewer children die every day. And maternal mortality has been nearly halved, declining by 47 per cent between 1990 and 2010. There are 825 days until the 2015 deadline. But more lives must be saved, urgently, if the world is to meet the goals it set out to achieve. At the current pace, the world will be 13 years late in achieving MDG 4, not

reaching the mark until 2028. But exactly how much progress remains to be made, and how do we get there? These questions drove the panel discussion Lives on the Line: How we can save 3.7 million women and children in less than 1,000 days, held on 25 September. In short, to achieve MDGs 4 and 5, the world must accelerate its current progress, saving an additional 3.5 million children and 200,000 women from preventable death between now and 2015. Among the panellists, UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake discussed how much of the worlds earliest work toward reaching the MDGs targeted children and women in accessible places. But leaders soon realized the goals could only be met by ensuring that the poorest and those who are hardest to access were also reached because those who live in the remotest locations, with the most restricted access to basic services, are the most vulnerable to preventable deaths. But, if they are to survive, the most marginalized children and women must be reached with more than just health services. Maternal mortality is 2.7 times more likely to claim the life of a woman who has not been educated. And ensuring that girls go to school improves their ability to care not only for themselves, but also for the children they may one day mother. In fact, the steady increase in the global rate of female educational attainment is considered linked to more than half of the recent reduction in child mortality.

And with undernutrition as a contributing factor in about half of all under-5 deaths, the hardest-to-reach children must receive nutrition support. Access to safe sources of water and improved sanitation and hygiene facilities are also essential, helping to prevent diarrhoea, a leading cause of child mortality that claimed the lives of more than 1,600 children under age 5 every day in 2012. Continuing to build on innovative ways of using technology to improve health will remain critical to advancing successes. Technology also played a vital role in driving the nights panel discussion, which was live-streamed and called for virtual attendees to engage in the conversation by submitting questions for the panellists via Twitter. Panel moderator and Al Jazeera journalist Femi Oke relayed one tweeted question: What can the average person do to help? One should actively seek avenues to provide support for pregnant women in local communities, advised Executive Secretary of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance Joy Phumaphi. Dr. Julie Gerberding, President of Merck Vaccines, encouraged educating oneself on issues and calling for change through voting processes, when possible. What you can do is as near as your computer or your cell phone, said Mr. Lake, drawing on the power of social media to forge global connections and drive positive change. This is a new world. There are movements out there that you can join.

What will you do during the 825 days and counting?