NEW YORK (CMC):

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) says new figures show solid progress on child survival, including a decline in the annual number of deaths of those under five years old, in the Caribbean and Latin America.

UNICEF said the decline comes amid a record global low in which child deaths have fallen below 10 million per year to 9.7 million, down from almost 13 million in 1990.

"This is an historic moment," said UNICEF executive director Ann M. Veneman. "More children are surviving today than ever before.

"Now, we must build on this public health success to push for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals," she added.

UNICEF said rapid declines in mortality among children under five years old have been seen in the Caribbean and Latin America, as well as other regions.

"The Latin American and Caribbean region is on track to achieve the child mortality Millennium Development Goal, with 27 deaths on average for every 1,000 live births, compared to 55 per thousand in 1990," the statement said.

UNICEF attributed much of the progress to "widespread adoption of basic health interventions, such as early and exclusive breastfeeding, measles immunisation, vitamin A supplementation and the use of insecticide-treated bed nets to prevent malaria.

"The new figures show that progress is possible if we act with renewed urgency to scale up interventions that have proven successful," Veneman said.

Unprecedented support

In addition, she said there is unprecedented support for global health, with increased funding and expanding partnerships, including with governments, the private sector, international foundations and civil society.

Under-five child mortality estimates are produced at the global level by the Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, which includes UNICEF, the World Health Organisation, the World Bank, the UN Population Division, Harvard University and others.

UNICEF said it is "on the ground" in over 150 countries and territories to help children "survive and thrive", from early childhood through adolescence.