PM backs development 'call to action'

Some countries are failing to use their resources to prevent children dying before the age of five, report claims

Monday, 18, Feb 2008 12:00

Gordon Brown has called for renewed emphasis on the fight against poverty following a Save the Children report.

The charity's wealth and survival index comparing child mortality with national income per person shows children face an increased risk of death in states where resources are being used ineffectively.

Angola and Sierra Leone are the worst countries, the report suggests, while Bangladesh is among those praised for improvements to its child survival rate.

Save the Children's report states over ten million children die under the age of five every year.

"This shocking fact… is a clear indication that the world faces a yet another development wake up call," Mr Brown said.

The prime minister insisted the UK government was among those pushing to keep poverty campaigning high on the agenda ahead of a global assessment of progress in September.

"This is why I am pleased that Save the Children is launching a campaign to keep this issue high on the agenda - we can and we must do more," he added.

At present the world is falling behind its goal of cutting child mortality by two-thirds by 2015, as laid out in the millennium development goals (MDGs).

This September will see non-government organisations, governments, civil society organisations, businesses and the UN come together to "agree an action plan to regain the ground we have lost in this race to save lives", Mr Brown said.

Save the Children remain convinced good governance is key to improving child mortality rates.

Its director of policy, David Mepham, said: "Good government choices save children's lives but bad ones are a death sentence."