Hi, this is Melinda Gates.
I'd like to tell you the best story in global health,
and that is, going back as far as we can count,
the number of children who die has gone down every single year.
A generation ago, it was 12 million every year,
now it's less than six million.
In another generation, the world can cut the number in half again.
Reducing child mortality is the heart of our foundation's work,
because virtually all advances in a society,
nutrition, education, gender equity, economic growth,
contribute to less child mortality.
The number of children the world saves
is a strong indicator of our overall progress.
Fortunately we know about solutions that can save millions more lives
if we deliver them to the women and children who need them.
Here are three simple proven lifesavers.
First, access to contraceptives.
When women are able to space their pregnancies,
it's healthier for them, and for their babies.
If every woman who didn't want to become pregnant
had access to contraceptives, infant mortality would go down by 1/5,
but there are still more than 225 million women
with an unmet need for family planning.
Second, breast feeding.
Breast milk is the gold standard of infant nutrition
everywhere in the world.
It gives newborns all the nutrients their bodies and brains
need to develop, and, it builds up their immune systems.
If the world helps more women breastfeed their babies,
it could prevent 800,000 deaths every year,
but right now, less than half of babies are breastfed in a recommended way.
Third, vaccines.
Vaccines are safe and they protect children
from deadly and debilitating diseases over a lifetime.
More children are receiving basic vaccines than ever before,
and still, new and better vaccines are being developed all the time.
Still, 1.5 million children will die this year
from diseases that could have been prevented
by vaccines they never received.
If we get more vaccines to more children, we will save more lives.
One of the things humanity should be the most proud of,
is the number of children's lives that we have saved.
We know how to save more, and the question is, will we?