Devolving countdown to countries: using global resources to support regional and national action

Abstract

Background As the world embarks on the quest to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs), building on the momentum and lessons of the millennium development goals (MDGs), several aspects are clear. The SDGs are deliberately visionary and all-encompassing and in relation to health and nutrition, and include most of the social determinants of health. The health goal is also a much broader goal than the focus on maternal and child health and infectious diseases that was found in the MDGs. Notwithstanding the above, three key aspects of the health goal (SDG 3) related to maternal and child health stand out. Firstly, achieving further gains in maternal and child health and survival cannot depend on the momentum of the past decade and will need concerted action and a focus on the bottlenecks and disparities highlighted previously [1]. Secondly, the renewed global strategy for every woman every child, The Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (Global Strategy), now includes several aspects of the continuum of care for women and children that were hitherto ignored. These include aspects of adolescent health, preconception care as well as child development outcomes. Lastly the focus on social determinants of health in the SDGs opens up huge opportunities for investments, multi-sectoral action and accountability. The transition from the successful Countdown to 2015 (Countdown 2015) activities to Countdown 2030