Most of the world's developing countries will fail to reach a set of global targets for improving health unless major action is taken now, the United Nations health agency said Thursday, reports The Associated Press.

At the current rate of progress, by 2015 not a single country in sub-Saharan Africa will succeed in reducing child mortality by two-thirds-one of the Millennium Development Goals set by a summit of world leaders in 2000.

Globally, only 16 percent of developing countries can meet that target, the WHO said in a statement. Similarly, only 17% of countries are on track to reduce deaths of women in childbirth by three-quarters, WHO said.

The biggest problems are in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In a third area, it said, fewer than half of countries are likely to halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger by 2015.

The WHO and the World Bank are holding a joint meeting of experts in Geneva Thursday and Friday to discuss how to strengthen efforts to meet the goals. "When these kind of targets are set, it seems too soon to take urgent action. And then, after a few short years, it seems too late," said Dr. Lee Jong-wook, WHO director-general.

"There is also the hazard of everyone waiting for everyone else to risk making the first move. We still have time to avoid these pitfalls with the targets for 2015, but to do so we have to act now".

A World Bank report produced for the meeting notes that progress toward the health-related goals is slower than toward some of the other goals, such as universal primary education. However, failure to meet the health goals likely will affect the chances of reaching the others, it says.

"We need to look at measures such as committing increased resources to meeting the health-related Millennium Development Goals, and using those resources more effectively in countries," said World Bank President James Wolfensohn.

The meeting will hear that lack of resources is not the only problem.

In many cases the technologies needed to improve health are available and affordable, but the infrastructure is missing in poorer countries.

"Delivering quality health services in poor countries is a complex challenge, involving human resources, reliable health information and ensuring that the poorest people are reached," WHO said.

In other news, Reuters notes that tobacco smoking is set to increase until 2010, but at lower rates than in the past as more people in rich countries shun the habit, the UN agriculture agency said on Thursday.

But consumption in poorer nations will continue to rise by 1,7% a year, with China leading the way.

The WHO predicts deaths from smoking could reach 10-million worldwide by the late 2020s, with more than 70% of victims living in the developing world.