The 2nd Countdown Conference was held in Cape Town, South Africa, from 17 to 19 April 2008. It ended with a call for G8 leaders and other donors to champion maternal, newborn and child health. The website of Countdown 2015 contains much information on the Countdown initiative and the Conference, including the 2008 Report (Countdown to 2015 MNCH: The 2008 Report – Tracking Progress in Maternal, Newborn and Child Survival), the Lancet special issue launched in April 2008 and country profiles on progress towards the 2015 Millennium Development Goals related to maternal, newborn and child health prepared for the 68 countries which account for 97% of global maternal, newborn and child deaths. The list includes the following 9 countries in the Region: Afghanistan, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. As stated on its website, the mission of The Countdown to 2015 is “to track progress made towards the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals 1, 4 and 5 and promote evidence-based information for better health investments and decisions by policy-makers regarding health needs at the county level.”