The State of the World's Children 1989

The State of the World's Children 1989 looks at some of the major child health achievements of the 1980s - achievements which are now saving the lives of at least two and a half million children each year. But this rate of progress, says the report, is now threatened by rising debts and the reversal of economic development in large areas of the developing world. It argues that the heavy burden of the debt crisis is being passed on to the children of the world’s poor. Calling for action on debt reduction, trade and aid to restore the momentum to development, the report argues that the derailment of the development effort also offers an opportunity to re-examine its direction. Looking to the decade ahead, the report calls for a real development pact between industrialized and developing nations to attempt to meet the needs of the poorest third of mankind.