Keeping score: fostering accountability for children's lives

We live in a remarkable era of accelerated progress in reducing child deaths in the poorest countries.1 The death rate in children younger than 5 years in low-income countries has dropped by 28·1% since 2000. The Millennium Declaration set an ambitious goal of reducing the death rate in this age group by two-thirds in each country.2 Progress has not been even, but since the year 2000 reductions were recorded in 136 of 138 low-income and middle-income countries. In the few months remaining until the end of the Millennium Development Goal period, even more can be achieved. Continued progress will benefit from a focus on results. Where are we making progress and where not? Where can more resources make the biggest difference?