Ensuring multisectoral action on the determinants of reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health in the post-2015 era.

D espite impressive improvements since the launch of the millennium development goals (MDGs), many countries will not reach the targets on maternal and child mortality, partly because of the lack of attention to determinants of health (box 1) beyond the health sector. For example, the 2010-15 Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health, launched by the United Nations secretary general to accelerate progress on MDGs 4-6,1 failed to consider determinants of health or interventions beyond the health sector. The maturation of the goals this year provides an opportunity to reflect on how coordinated multisectoral action could achieve more ambitious targets for women and children’s health, such as ending preventable maternal, newborn, and child deaths in all countries. The finalisation of the 2016-30 sustainable development goals (SDGs; which urge a more integrated and transformative view of development) and the upcoming launch of the 2016-30 Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (Every Woman Every Child 2.0; EWEC 2.0) also make it timely to consider how multisectoral action can be facilitated in countries, including in updating and developing new national strategies for reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (RMNCAH). Here we review evidence on the contribution of action on determinants, discuss major obstacles, and propose key steps for global and national strategies to provide guidance.