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The Roll of the Dice: From mother to child

In fact, the 6 billionth baby's future may well be written in his mother's and grandmother's pasts, for the consequences of deprivation are handed down through the generations like a hereditary disease.

Low birthweight is a clear example, a sensitive indicator of the health of both mother and baby, and one of the prime signs of a troubled life ahead for a child. About one in every five babies in developing countries starts life at less than 2.5 kg, mainly because of the mother's poor nutritional status. A low-birthweight baby is more likely to die in infancy or early childhood. If the infant survives, he is likely to suffer more illnesses, to be malnourished, to fail to reach his physical and intellectual potential and to have long-term disabilities. Increasing evidence shows that a low-birthweight child will be prone to diabetes, hypertension and heart disease in adulthood.

Half the world's poor are children, and more babies are being born into poverty than ever before. In Cambodia, where the GNP per capita is less than $1 a day, a girl carries her baby sibling

Nearly 4 in every 10 children under the age of five in developing countries are stunted, their stature a symbol of their diminished potential. Because their capacity for learning is also reduced, they do less well at school, and later in life their productivity and earnings are generally lower than those of their better-nourished peers. And, like all malnourished children, they are more susceptible to disease.

Malnutrition makes children more likely to fall ill, and illness deepens their malnutrition; hunger and disease feed off each other in a constant downward spiral. The wreckage of ruined lives and wasted bodies represents a denial of human rights as abhorrent as torture — and a devastating handicap for a country's economic development.

Still another unexpected assault may await the 6 billionth baby: She may well lose her mother at birth. Every minute, a woman somewhere dies from pregnancy-related causes or in childbirth — almost 600,000 a year. Nearly all of these deaths occur in developing countries. More than 1 million children are orphaned in this way each year, and they are more likely to die within a few years than those whose mothers survive.

As with all children, much of the 6 billionth baby's future will be decided by the time he is two years old, the age by which his physical and mental development will have been largely set in accordance with a range of factors, including the quality of food, health care and stimulation he receives.

Much will depend on whether the child is breastfed, because exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months greatly enhances a child's prospects of surviving and thriving, and speeds cognitive development.

The 6 billionth baby's future will also be much brighter if her mother has received some education. The child will be less likely to die in infancy, will grow up healthier and better fed and will be more likely to start and to stay in school. Indeed, increased schooling for girls sends benefits cascading through societies and economies. As more girls are educated, and for longer periods, their confidence and empowerment will rise, and infant mortality and population growth will fall — all of this a boon to life expectancy and overall economic growth.

In short, anything that improves the prospects for children's well-being improves the prospects for the world.

Child rights are better recognized today than ever before, as evidenced by the nearly universal embrace of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which has been ratified by every country in the world save two. And child rights and concerns are now higher on many public agendas than ever before.

By acting now, as a matter of urgency, to secure these rights, we can all help improve the odds for the 6 billionth baby — and all the rest of the world's children.

But the clock is ticking. Before we know it, some 12 years from now, the dice will roll again for the 7 billionth baby.