Since 1990, the child mortality rate in India has dropped by 45 percent. This progress is proof that the technology and know-how to reach even the most vulnerable children with life-saving interventions are available.

In spite of the steady progress, the challenge of being the second most populous country with diverse geo-socio-cultural conditions and sub-national disparities, India is still among the top four that account for 50% of global under-five mortality. In this context, India co-convened the June 2012 Global Call to Action on child survival along with Ethiopia and United States of America.

At this high-level forum organized in collaboration with USAID-UNICEF, the Hon'ble Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad assured that India shall remain in the forefront of the global war against child mortality and morbidity. The urgent priority is on convergence of health and child services under universal health coverage with a focus on special requirements of vulnerable and marginalized groups.

The Call to Action will be a shared platform for concerned ministries and inter-ministerial dialogue for the centre and states, Global and Indian expertise, good will ambassadors, private sector, civil society, media and faith-based organizations to share experiences and challenges; celebrate successes in maternal, newborn and child survival and development programmes; and, pledge to recommit them-selves to address challenges in implementation.
 

The ministry will launch an enabling strategic roadmap (RMNCH+A) with and other development initiatives as community based management of acute malnutrition and screening for congenital disorders; engage with all partners to arrive at actionable goals and commitments for high-burden states aimed to reduce the deaths of children from preventable causes.

The Call to Action Summit will progress on the following main tracks:

• Leadership dialogue: A Promise Renewed for India - Commitments for child survival and development

• Roadmap to child survival and development: India's road-map to RMNCH+A with specific priority setting for 8 EAG states and Assam to achieve goals beyond 2015.

• Building Partnerships: A Shared Vision -prioritizing resources and achieving synergy in efforts with private sector and civil societies and faith based organizations.

• Accountability: Tracking progress -Achieving results -Systems, processes and measures of success.

• Innovation: Innovation and research -Efficient and effective health system delivery.

Ministers from central and state governments, leaders from the private sector, civil society, media and multilateral organizations, academia and funding agencies will arrive at a set of agreed actions, commitments, promote accountability and engage high burden states to determine follow up mechanism to achieve India's Goals for child survival and development.

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