The United Nations Children's Fund has warned that global deaths of newborn babies remain alarmingly high, particularly in the world's poorest countries.
Every year, 2.6 million babies die before turning one month old and one million of them take their first and last breaths on the day they are born.
In its 'Every Child Alive' report, released today, UNICEF says five of the ten most dangerous countries to be born are in West and Central Africa.
Infants there are 50 times more likely to die within a month than if they were born in Japan or Iceland.
One in 16 pregnancies in the region results in stillbirth or death within a month, mostly preventable deaths caused by premature birth, labour complications or infection, according to UNICEF.
The report says, globally, in low-income countries, the average newborn mortality rate was 27 deaths per 1,000 births, while in high-income countries, that rate is three deaths per 1,000.
UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta H Fore says "given that the majority of these deaths are preventable, clearly, we are failing the world’s poorest babies".
UNICEF says if every country brought its newborn mortality rate down to the high-income average by 2030, 16 million lives could be saved.
UNICEF says deaths could be prevented with access to well-trained midwives, along with proven solutions like clean water, disinfectants, breastfeeding within the first hour, skin-to-skin contact and good nutrition.
UNICEF Senior Health Adviser Willibald Zeck said the main factors behind the newborn mortality rate were prematurity, complications during birth, and illness.
He said there has been progress in overall child mortality worldwide, however "a major gap in newborn mortality" persists.
Mr Zeck said the aim of the report is to bring about real change by 2030 adding: "If we change the mortality rate or decrease the mortality rate of newborns, we can make a big change for many many countries around the globe."
The report also noted that eight of the ten most dangerous places to be born are in sub-Saharan Africa, where pregnant women are much less likely to receive assistance during delivery due to poverty, conflict, and weak institutions.
Mr Zeck said UNICEF was now focusing on the quality of care being provided in many countries, "to make sure that newborns can be saved and can be alive; it’s basically the four P’s: Power, People, Place, and Products; and products means that we also provide commodities for hospitals on district level".
