Unilever underlines role of hygiene in fighting child mortality

Unilever has called for hygiene to be recognised as a key intervention to reducing child mortality rates around the world.

Speaking at a meeting organised by Unilever's Lifebuoy soap brand during the 68th UN General Assembly in New York, company chief executive Paul Polman addressed experts from across the public and private sectors to look at how handwashing with soap can help more children reach the age of five.

This will help to meet international targets of achieving a mortality reduction in children under five by two-thirds in time for the Millennium Development Goal deadline of 2015 and offer long-term benefits beyond this date.

Mr Polman noted that strong collaboration between public and private organisations around the world is needed in order to achieve this goal.

He said: "No business, government or UN agency can achieve the agreed reduction of child mortality alone, but by working together we can combine the expertise, resources and policy needed to achieve real change."

This comes after Unilever announced in August 2013 that it will be allying with the University of Liverpool to launch a three-year renewable chemical research project.