Briefing for the Day of the African Child. Reaching Millennium Development Goal 4: What progress has Africa made and what more needs to be done?

This briefing document reviews examples of the progress that Africa has made in reaching the Accelerated Action Towards Africa Fit for Children 2008–2012, as adopted by the African Union and Member States in the agreed actions related to Enhancing Life Chances and Child Survival.
It also looks at what more needs to be done. The commitment, ‘Enhancing Life Chances,’ entails: • strengthening health systems to provide quality maternal and child health services; • scaling up essential interventions to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality and reduce neonatal mortality; •scaling up a minimum package of proven child health interventions; • and supporting family and community based actions that enhance children’s health, nutrition and well-being including potable water, improved sanitation and hygiene, appropriate young child feeding practices and food security measures. Unless otherwise stated, all the data in this briefing comes from the 2009 edition of UNICEF’s The State of Africa’s Children, which reviews where the African continent stands on child survival.