A/70/213 V. Conclusions and recommendations A. Conclusions 106. The health, survival and healthy development of young children must be placed at the centre of the implementation of post-2015 agenda and other global, regional and national commitments and actions. 107. The right to survival as a central element of children’s health is now widely recognized as a human rights and public health concern and concerted efforts by all stakeholders have resulted in a significant reduction of preventable infant and under-5 mortality. Despite this progress, in many countries and among disadvantaged groups of the population, mortality and morbidity rates in early childhood remain unacceptably high. More needs to be done to eliminate deaths from preventable causes in early childhood. 108. Beyond sheer survival, children have a right to thrive, develop in a holistic way to their full potential and enjoy good physical and mental health in a sustainable world. The right of young children to healthy development is crucial to promote and protect the right to health throughout life as well as to foster sustainable human development; however it has not yet received adequate attention. 109. Investing in healthy development, good mental health and emotional well being in early childhood through effective public health, and psychosocial and psychoeducational interventions is not a luxury. The value of these interventions may be equal to the value of lifesaving essential medicines and vaccines, as they protect children from the detrimental effects of violence and other early childhood adversities. 110. Momentum now exists towards a new decade of focus on child development that builds on the progress made on child survival and takes it to the next step so that children can thrive, develop to their full potential and thus contribute to healthier societies and sustainable development. B. Recommendations 111. States should be more intentional and explicit about the application of a human rights-based approach in their laws, policies, programmes, budgets and other measures. Good practices in applying human rights principles to addressing child survival and development worldwide should become the rule rather than the exception. 112. In this connection, the Special Rapporteur urges Governments: (a) To address the youngest children, especially newborns and infants, as rights holders and to join forces with all relevant stakeholders to achieve a breakthrough by significantly reducing mortality and morbidity rates among newborns; (b) To adopt a broader approach when investing in children’s health by effectively addressing the detrimental impact of violence and early childhood adversities; 15-12535 23/25