Investing in Maternal, Newborn and Child Health: The Case for Asia and the Pacific

Every year 9.2 million children in the world die before their fifth birthday, as do more than half a million pregnant women.1 The situation is particularly acute in Asia and the Pacific, whose share of the global total is nearly 41% of the underfives, more than 44% of the mothers and 56% of the newborn babies.2-3 Most of these deaths could be prevented through proven, cost-effective interventions. Furthermore, of all the people in the world who require family planning services, but do not have access to them, 55% live in Asia and the Pacific.