The Lancet is publishing a new Review from the Countdown to 2015 collaboration, summarising results from the Countdown 2014 report, examining the data supporting evidence-based decisions in women's and children's health, describing elements of the Countdown process that might inform ongoing efforts to hold the world to account for progress, and listing concrete steps that can be taken now to ensure continued progress for women and children.
The Review is published to coincide with the 2014 Partners' Forum, held in Johannesburg, South Africa from June 30 - July 1, 2014, where global health professionals, policy makers, business leaders, advocates and youth leaders will gather to review progress, identify factors for success, and agree on commitments for action to help women, newborns, children and adolescents survive and thrive.
Article: Countdown to 2015 and beyond: fulfilling the health agenda for women and children, Jennifer Harris Requejo, Jennifer Bryce, Aluisio JD Barros, Peter Berman, Zulfiqar Bhutta, Mickey Chopra, Bernadette Daelmans, Andres de Francisco, Joy Lawn, Blerta Maliqi, Elizabeth Mason, Holly Newby, Carole Presern, Ann Starrs, Cesar G Victora, The Lancet, DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60925-9, published 30 June 2014.
At the same time, The Lancet also publishes a new Countdown to 2015 country case study on maternal mortality in Bangladesh. Countdown is engaging in a series of country case studies to explore in-depth how countries have achieved or failed to achieve progress in women's and children's health, and this study is thought to be the first systematic presentation of evidence for a low-income or middle-income country explaining the impact of health and non-health factors on maternal mortality at a national scale.
Article: Maternal mortality in Bangladesh: a Countdown to 2015 country case study, Shams El Arifeen, Kenneth Hill, Karar Zunaid Ahsan, Kanta Jamil, Quamrun Nahar, Peter Kim Streatfield, The Lancet, DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60955-7, published 30 June 2014.