United Nations

This report is a live document that will be refined to reflect outcomes of ongoing processes and conversations on the post-2015 development agenda. It captures the findings from the global conversation launched through the UNDG national and thematic consultations through which people from all over the world have been invited to help Member States shape the future development agenda (see http://www.worldwewant2015.org/the-global-conversation-begins). Further refinements to the report will be based on the findings from these consultations.

The UN Platform on Social Determinants of Health is an informal mechanism to provide coordinated support to Member States with implementation of the Rio Political Declaration on Social Determinants of Health. The Platform also advocate s placing the social determinants of health highly on the global development agenda, and fostering coherent action on the social determinants of health. Currently, the platform involves staff from ILO, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO and UNAIDS.

The purpose of this document is to provide guidance to national AIDS programmes and partners actively involved in the country response to AIDS on use of core indicators to measure and report on the national response.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The South African Department of Health, commonly referred to in South Africa as the National Department of Health (NDoH), has prioritised improvements in the health of mothers and children through strategic health programme interventions. To improve the capacity of health districts performing poorly with regard to mother and child health indicators and to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) NDoH has identified and prioritised 18 health sub-districts across South Africa as districts that need interventions for improvement.

The strategy elaborates UNDP's response to address social, cultural and economic determinants of HIV and Health. UNDP has an important role in supporting health outcomes by helping countries to address the social, cultural and economic determinants of HIV and health, in partnership with UN system and other organizations. This is done through UNDP’s core work in strengthening governance, institutions and management capacity and in improving aid coordination and effectiveness. UNDP also contributes through its coordinating and convening role in bringing together multiple partners and resources at national and local levels.

To strengthen the rights-based national response to HIV, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), with the technical support of the International HIV/AIDS Alliance (the Alliance), initiated a project in 2011 to help national stakeholders (national AIDS programme managers, officials from ministries of health, gender and justice, civil society representatives, members of affected communities and UN staff) integrate human rights programmes into National Strategic Plans (NSPs). This brief report outlines some short term outcomes and lessons learnt from this initiative.

In its 2012 Report, the MDG Gap Task Force has had difficulty identifying areas of significant new progress towards delivering on commitments to the Global Partnership for Development, and for the first time there are signs of backsliding. The volume of official development assistance (ODA) fell for the first time in many years, obstacles to exports from developing countries are on the rise, and numerous developing countries are facing debt difficulties. With less than three years until 2015, there is no apparent commitment by donor Governments to reverse the trend in time, and it is likely that fewer MDGs will be reached in fewer countries as a result.

The 2012 Progress Report on Committing to Child Survival: A Promise Renewed examines trends in child mortality estimates since 1990, and shows that major reductions have been made in under-five mortality rates in all regions and diverse countries. This has translated into a sharp drop in the estimated number of under-five deaths worldwide. Data released today by UNICEF and the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation show that the number of children under the age of five dying globally fell from nearly 12 million in 1990 to an estimated 6.9 million in 2011.

Born too soon: the global action report on preterm birth provides the first-ever national, regional and global estimates of preterm birth. The report shows the extent to which preterm birth is on the rise in most countries, and is now the second leading cause of death globally for children under five, after pneumonia.

Addressing preterm birth is now an urgent priority for reaching Millennium Development Goal 4, calling for the reduction of child deaths by two-thirds by 2015. This report shows that rapid change is possible and identifies priority actions for everyone.