Bulgaria is ranked 45th in the world as a country suitable for child-rearing. The report was prepared by experts at the World Health Organization, the Lancet medical journal and the United Nations Children's Fund.
As climate and commercial threats intensify, WHO-UNICEF-Lancet Commission presses for radical rethink on child health
No single country is adequately protecting children’s health, their environment and their futures, finds a landmark report released today by a Commission of over 40 child and adolescent health experts from around the world. The Commission was convened by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and The Lancet.
The report, A Future for the World’s Children?, finds that the health and future of every child and adolescent worldwide is under immediate threat from ecological degradation, climate change and exploitative marketing practices that push heavily processed fast food, sugary drinks, alcohol and tobacco at children.
“Despite improvements in child and adolescent health over the past 20 years, progress has stalled, and is set to reverse,” said former Prime Minister of New Zealand and Co-Chair of the Commission, Helen Clark. “It has been estimated that around 250 million children under five years old in low- and middle-income countries are at risk of not reaching their developmental potential, based on proxy measures of stunting and poverty. But of even greater concern, every child worldwide now faces existential threats from climate change and commercial pressures.
“Countries need to overhaul their approach to child and adolescent health, to ensure that we not only look after our children today but protect the world they will inherit in the future,” she added.
The report includes a new global index of 180 countries, comparing performance on child flourishing, including measures of child survival and well-being, such as health, education, and nutrition; sustainability, with a proxy for greenhouse gas emissions, and equity, or income gaps.
The index shows that children in Norway, the Republic of Korea, and the Netherlands have the best chance at survival and well-being, while children in Central African Republic, Chad, Somalia, Niger and Mali face the worst odds.
Bulgaria is ranked 45th, followed by Cuba and Bahrain.
The report's experts believe that the poorest countries have a long way to go in order to provide children with a healthy lifestyle. The rich countries, on the other hand, are threatening the future of all children through carbon pollution, which will lead to climate change and environmental catastrophe.
It is emphasized that no country has achieved good results on all three parameters.
More information can be found on the World Health Organization official website.
