Since last year's call for action, there have been positive changes in policy and funding. More efforts have been made to include newborn health in global guidelines and national strategies, with UNICEF developing their first guidelines on newborn health programming. More funding has started to come; The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has provided a grant of US $60 million to Saving Newborn Lives/Save the Children USA, and the World Bank funding for health-sector reform and strengthening now promotes an emphasis on health for newborn babies as well as mothers and children.

However, much still needs to be done to reduce neonatal deaths and accelerate progress towards MDG 4. In their Viewpoint, the authors restate their call for action from last year, and emphasise four points.

1. Governments and partners to work together to develop country action plans in all high-mortality countries by the end of 2007 with an overall strategy of how governments plan to reduce deaths in newborn babies.
2. Improved integration of newborn health with other relevant programmes, such as maternal and child health.
3. Governmental commitment and leadership to ensure plans are translated into actions, with the support of international partners.
4. Donors and national governments to invest strategically in maternal, neonatal, and child care as a basis for development and for achieving the MDGs.

There is a demand from countries for technical support in the process of planning and integration for newborn care. After the publication of the series, 20 African countries requested technical assistance from WHO. Strategic planning and integration would benefit
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Contact: Joe Santangelo
j.santangelo@elsevier.com
212-633-3810
Lancet
1-May-2006