Ahead of the U.N. General Assembly’s 68th session and its general debate on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) — “Post-2015 Development Agenda: Setting the Stage” (September 24-October 2, 2013) — the Huffington Post’s “Global Motherhood” and “Impact” blogs posted separate series of opinion pieces addressing child health. The following is a summary of these pieces, published on the heels of a new UNICEF, World Bank and WHO report released last week, which shows the number of early childhood deaths worldwide has decreased by half since 1990, but approximately 18,000 children under age five continue to die daily, as well as a study published in The Lancet on Thursday, which shows that if historical trends continue, 5.4 million children worldwide will still die annually of preventable causes in 2035.

• Ray Chambers, “Impact” blog: Chambers, U.N. special envoy for health financing, calls on the global community to join in the effort to achieve MDG 4 on child mortality (9/19).
• Patricia Coffey, “Global Motherhood” blog: Coffey, a senior program officer at PATH, examines how cutting the umbilical cord at birth using sterile procedures could save thousands of newborn lives (9/19).
• Sharon D’Agostino, “Global Motherhood” blog: D’Agostino, vice president of corporate citizenship at Johnson & Johnson, looks at progress made toward achieving MDGs 4, 5 and 6 through the Every Woman, Every Child initiative (9/19).
• Sarah Edwards, “Impact” blog: Edwards, head of policy and campaigns at Health Poverty Action, looks at health disparities within countries (9/20).
• Chris Herlinger, “Impact” blog: Herlinger, a freelance journalist, author and Church World Service aid worker, reflects on progress and existing challenges in the effort to reduce child mortality rates by 2015 (9/19).
• William Lin, “Global Motherhood” blog: Lin, director of worldwide contributions and community relations at Johnson & Johnson, examines efforts to end infections with intestinal worms, also known as soil transmitted helminths (STH), among children in the developing world (9/18).
• Marissa Miley, “Impact” blog: Miley, a global health correspondent for GlobalPost, reflects on “hopeful progress on the road to ending preventable deaths in some nations, and considerable challenges in others” (9/19).
• Jonathan Quick, “Global Motherhood” blog: Quick, president and CEO of Management Sciences for Health, writes, “The post-2015 development framework — which United Nations member states discuss next week in New York — needs to redouble efforts on health, including a specific focus on child mortality” (9/19).
• Dennis Walto, “Global Motherhood” blog: Walto, a senior adviser for innovations and revenue with International Medical Corps, says “[t]he organization’s emphasis on building resilience through training and community education has contributed to reducing child mortality through programs including primary health care, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, among others” (9/19).