Breaking the Cycle: Addressing Inequalities in Child Survival to Promote Inclusive Social Development

Thirty years ago, Member States gathered at the first World Summit for Social Development recognized that good health is both a consequence and a driver of social development and committed to reducing mortality rates among children under age 5. Since then, levels of child mortality have fallen significantly (United Nations, 2024). Yet, as the world prepares for the Second World Summit for Social Development in November 2025, profound disparities in child health and survival persist within and among countries, making it difficult for those furthest behind to break out of mutually rein-forcing cycles of poor health, poverty and social exclusion. This policy brief explores disparities in child mortality within and among countries and provides a series of recommendations aimed at ending preventable child deaths and reducing inequalities in child survival in different contexts.