text: alized only a fraction of the potential ottered by basic health technologies. As we embark on the last decade of the 20th century, armed with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and our hopes for the Summit, we would do well to remember that meetings, words and promises alone will not save lives or soften the envi- ronments in which our children arc expected to grow. We might reflectfor a moment on nx. (1979) and the promises which that occasion also generated for a revolution in csn. We were moved at the time to observe that every year should be the Year of the Child, and clearly things have not turned out that way. At the time of ivc we had the knowledge and tee lino logics to save 100 million child lives by the year 2000. After 10 years we had saved just seven million, and our target for the 1990s is now 50 million. What \ve were unable to foresee in 19X0 was the crushing impact which falling commodity prices, third world debt and national economic adjust- ment programmes would have on our projections tor the developing world. National economies shrank, external sources of financing dried up, and the first bite of economic restructuring was felt by the poorest families. Work- ers were laid off, currencies were devalued, food prices rose and social spending was cut. An analysis of gov- ernment spending for 57 developing countries in the first half of the decade showed that real health expenditure per capita declined in most of Africa and Latin America, and that per capi- ta government support for food sub- sidies declined in eight out of the 10 countries tor which comparable data could be found. Per capita public investment in pri- mary schooling also fell in two thirds
analysis: The text primarily focuses on the impact of economic factors on the development of children's health and education, highlighting the decline in government spending on healthcare, education, and food subsidies in developing countries. It also touches on the limitations of international agreements and promises made to improve children's lives. Given the emphasis on economic and social issues, it is likely that the text falls under the categories related to human development and social welfare.