The State of the World's Children

Publisher:  Canadian Unicef Committee
Year Published:  1989
Pages:  102pp   Resource Type:  Book
Cx Number:  CX4283

Abstract: 
This Report, prepared by UNICEF, illustrates through the use of research results, charts, tables and statistics, how millions of the world's children can be saved if more money and attention was given to their cause.
Today, developing nations spend almost one billion dollars a day on debt servicing and military spending. For a cost of approximately 2.5 billion dollars a year, millions of young people in the world's developing countries could be saved from dehydration caused by diarrhea or pneumonia. Approximately 13,000 children die daily from these two diseases. Tetanus, measles and whooping cough also claim many young lives.
Only high-level political commitment can put today's low-cost solutions into practice on the necessary scale. Accordingly, UNICEF has called for a World Summit for Children to be held in September 1990 for Heads of State to discuss this major social issue for the first time.
There have been achievements. Seventy per cent of the developing world's children are now being immunized. Oral rehydration therapy is now being used by one family in every three in the developing world and is preventing one million child deaths a year from diarrheal dehydration.
The Report points out that military spending has been cut or frozen in many nations today and that there are fewer wars being fought. Unicef's Executive Director hopes that an outbreak of peace could represent an opportunity for the world's children.

Subject Headings

• Children