UN OWG Proposed Target 3.2
RATING: It is very unrealistic to expect an end to preventable new-born, and under-five deaths in wealthy, developed nations, let alone lower and middle income countries by 2030. With realistic targets for reduction in child and newborn death rates (say 20 per 1,000 live births as recommended by CIH), the rating is GOOD. For children between 1-59 months, interventions are relatively cheap (e.g. basic health, vaccines, micronutrients) and have lifetime benefits. For neo-natal infants (less than 1 month), the rate of decline in deaths can continue in low and middle-income countries with relatively inexpensive interventions. However, at some point sustained reduction in neo-natal mortality rates will only occur with costly intensive care facilities.
Better wording: reduce under 5-mortality rate to 20 per 1,000 live births and neo-natal mortality rate to 11 per 1,000 live births.
Setting the Right Global Goals
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You can read about our prioritization project, setting smart, cost-effective goals in this op-ed published around the world including Turkey, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Uganda, South Korea, Costa Rica and the Philippines.
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In our recent report, not just the target above, but all 169 targets have been assessed by 60 teams of the world’s top economists. The targets have been categorized into five ratings based on evidence of economic, social, and environmental costs and benefits. While we applaud that the UN Open Working Group's final outcome document contains 43 fewer targets than the previous document, we are concerned that many targets have simply been combined, therefore reducing the number of both phenomenal and poor targets assessed according to our cost-benefit analysis. Our new assessment includes suggestions for how these can be improved as reported in this article by the Financial Times.