PROMOTING HEALTH
THROUGH THE LIFE COURSE

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key achievements

The Life Course approach recognizes the health concerns of different stages of life and ages , thereby helping to address health equity, human rights and gender equality.

MATERNAL MORTALITY DECLINING, BUT PROBLEMS PERSIST

Although great progress has been made in reducing maternal and newborn mortality, it is insufficient to meet the global targets of the Sustainable Development Goals.

In the biennium, all countries in the South-East Asia Region and the Region of the Americas continued to make significant progress in reducing maternal mortality. In the African Region, all countries except two have now introduced Maternal Death Surveillance and Response. Progress made in the Eastern Mediterranean Region was set back by humanitarian crises that led to inadequate programme implementation.

CHILD MORTALITY RATES IMPROVING

Since 2000, child mortality rates have declined by nearly half, mostly due to improved access to affordable, quality health services. The highest risk of death for children is at the neonatal stage, for which global mortality has declined, albeit more slowly than for all children and children from 1 to 59 months of age.

KANGAROO CARE EXPANDED

Newborn mortality in the Western Pacific Region is estimated to have decreased by 8–39% in nine high-burden countries since 2013. Survey or national surveillance data show improved trends in breastfeeding initiation or exclusive breastfeeding in the first month of life in four countries. WHO-coordinated research led to intervention scale-up of quality essential newborn care (EENC).

BETTER HEALTH SERVICES FOR AFRICAN ADOLESCENTS

Three years after the launch of the Global Accelerated Action for the Health of Adolescents (AA-HA!), 36 countries in the African Region are using it to plan, implement and increase access to quality services for adolescents.

HEALTHY AGEING GROWING IN PROMINENCE

Political commitment to healthy ageing has dramatically increased across all regions. The WHO Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities has expanded, and WHO launched the Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) to help implement a person-centred model of care.

COUNTRIES COMMIT TO CLEAN AIR

WHO’s leadership was crucial in driving forward various environmental commitments in the biennium. At the United Nations 2019 Climate Action Summit, 50 countries, representing over 1 billion people, answered WHO’s call to provide citizens with clean air by 2030.

WHO’s BreatheLife campaign – which raises awareness around air pollution – continued to grow.