Future At Risk

Our January 2021 report, Future At Risk: The UK’s role in averting a global health crisis for mothers and children, highlights how COVID-19 has caused unprecedented disruptions to the essential and life-saving services that the world’s most vulnerable children and their mothers depend on.

The report warns 6,000 more children and 300 mothers are at risk of dying each day around the world from the impact of COVID-19 on vital health services.

At the peak of the pandemic, 90% of countries reported disruptions in basic health services, including routine immunisation, nutrition programmes, and water, sanitation and hygiene services. The poorest and most fragile countries are facing the gravest challenges.

As a result, children’s lives and futures are at risk as COVID-19 threatens to reverse decades of progress for maternal, newborn and child survival.

What are we calling for?

As the UK prepares to host several important summits in 2021 including the G7 and COP26, the Government must mobilise international action to avert a global health crisis for mothers and children and deliver on its promise to help end the preventable deaths of mothers, newborn babies, and children by 2030.

We’re calling on the UK Government to:

1. Publish in early 2021 an ambitious Action Plan on ending preventable deaths of mothers, newborns and children.
2. Prioritise mothers and children in all phases of the pandemic response and lead global recovery efforts to build resilient health systems.
3. Protect funding for children and mothers from the expected contraction in the aid budget and return to spending 0.7% of GNI on Official Development Assistance no later than 2022.