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Building on a Legacy of Child Survival

SpeakerS:

Kimberly Cernak, Managing Director, Eleanor Crook Foundation
Kul Gautam, Board Chair, RESULTS Educational Fund
Helga Fogstad, Director, UNICEF Health Program
Dr. Marea Hatziolos Grant, Principal, Ocean Stewardship, Independent Consultant

With Lead Programming Partner

“The next frontier of child survival is ours to advance, but it will require the sort of bold vision, collaborative partnerships, and drive that we've seen work in the past.” Kimberly Cernak
“Part of his greatness was having a bold vision that he actually was able to implement, to see results on the ground, and take to scale. What his legacy was for all of us was thinking big, getting the political will to actually implement, and creating the partnerships and allegiances that were necessary to realize this global vision.” Dr. Marea Hatziolos Grant
“Those goals that were set for children later on became the foundation for the Millennium Development Goals and today's Sustainable Development Goals that are driving the world's development agenda. That's how he made the impossible possible.” Kul Gautam
“I think that there needs to be a child survival and child survival, thrive, and transform agenda put on the agenda again in a very tangible way. All the interventions that are known need to be highlighted, and the capacity of the systems to be strengthened in order to make sure that the human resources, supply chain, drugs are strengthened in an aligned fashion.” Helga Fogstad

Key takeaways:

  • Jim Grant’s visionary leadership: Jim Grant transformed child survival efforts by elevating health from a technical medical issue to a political priority at the highest levels of government, engaging directly with heads of state to advocate for cost-effective interventions that save children’s lives, framing it as both a moral imperative and a political advantage. 
  • Importance of simple, scalable solutions: Grant focused on simple, proven, accessible, and cost-effective technologies, demonstrating their success through early adopters like Colombia and the Philippines. 
  • Addressing equity and poverty: Current efforts need to focus on equity by identifying where child deaths are occurring and mobilizing resources in impoverished and conflict-affected areas for effective interventions.  
  • Building political will: The capacity to improve child survival exists, but what is lacking is the political will. Cultivating this will is essential to align morality with capacity and address disparities in health outcomes. 
  • Establishing the James P. Grant Child Survival Award: The Eleanor Crook Foundation, in collaboration with the Grant family, announced the establishment of the James P. Grant Child Survival Award to recognize contemporary leaders committed to scaling solutions for child survival, thereby continuing Grant’s legacy. 
  • Community-Level implementation: UNICEF’s focus remains on implementing programs at the community level, crucial for addressing the needs of disadvantaged children and ensuring effective interventions. 

Action items:

  • Reinvigorate political commitment: Advocate for child survival and development to be placed prominently on political agendas worldwide, ensuring leaders are held accountable for progress in reducing preventable child deaths. 
  • Scale proven interventions: Prioritize the scaling of simple, cost-effective health interventions that have been demonstrated to work, focusing on early adopters and success stories to build momentum. 
  • Focus on equity: Target efforts towards the most disadvantaged populations, particularly in the 10 to 20 countries where child mortality rates are highest, to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 
  • Strengthen health systems: Enhance system capacities—including human resources and supply chains—in an aligned fashion to ensure effective delivery of health services at the community level. 
  • Cultivate global partnerships: Foster collaborative partnerships among governments, NGOs, and international organizations to unite efforts, avoid duplication, and emphasize collective impact on child survival. 
  • Recognize and support innovative leaders: Through initiatives like the James P. Grant Child Survival Award, encourage and support leaders who are committed to innovating and scaling solutions that save children’s lives. 
  • Address conflicts and fragility: Focus on delivering health interventions in conflict-affected and fragile settings, where children are most vulnerable and health disparities are greatest. 

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