title: Countdown to 2015: a decade of tracking progress for maternal, newborn, and child survival.
abstract: Conceived in 2003 and born in 2005 with the launch of its first report and country profiles, the Countdown to 2015 for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Survival has reached its originally proposed lifespan. Major reductions in the deaths of mothers and children have occurred since Countdown's inception, even though most of the 75 priority countries failed to achieve Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5. The coverage of life-saving interventions tracked in Countdown increased steadily over time, but wide inequalities persist between and within countries. Key drivers of coverage such as financing, human resources, commodities, and conducive health policies also showed important, yet insufficient increases. As a multistakeholder initiative of more than 40 academic, international, bilateral, and civil society institutions, Countdown was successful in monitoring progress and raising the visibility of the health of mothers, newborns, and children. Lessons learned from this initiative have direct bearing on monitoring progress during the Sustainable Development Goals era.
authors.affiliation: Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil. Electronic address: cvictora@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Cesar G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Victora
authors.affiliation: Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jennifer Harris
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Requejo
authors.affiliation: Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil.
authors.forename: Aluisio J D
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Barros
authors.affiliation: Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Berman
authors.affiliation: Robert Harding Chair in Global Child Health and Policy, Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Zulfiqar
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Bhutta
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Ties
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Boerma
authors.affiliation: United Nations Children's Fund, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Mickey
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chopra
authors.affiliation: Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Andres
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: de Francisco
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Bernadette
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Daelmans
authors.affiliation: Institute for International Programs, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hazel
authors.affiliation: London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors.forename: Joy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lawn
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Blerta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Maliqi
authors.affiliation: United Nations Children's Fund, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Holly
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Newby
authors.affiliation: Institute for International Programs, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bryce
mesh_terms: D002423:Cause of Death / Q000639:trends; D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000639:trends; D046688:Child Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D014943:Global Health / Q000639:trends; D054625:Healthcare Disparities / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007226:Infant Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008427:Maternal Health Services / Q000639:trends; D008428:Maternal Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D011247:Pregnancy