from The Business Standard
MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS: THE REPORT CARD
South Asia has made significant progress in reducing extreme poverty with its rapid economic growth.
However, poor show in health, environmental sustainability and gender equality may prevent the region from achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), according to this year’s report on the goals.
In the Millennium Development Goals Declaration, countries have committed to halve the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day by 2015.
“India has substantially reduced absolute poverty during the first half of the Millennium Development Goal. There has been progress in primary education and water supply in the urban sector. However, a lot of work needs to be done in the area of infant mortality and maternal mortality. The overarching problem of malnutrition has to be tackled,” Eimar Barr, deputy director, programmes, UNICEF, told Business Standard.
The prevalence rate of underweight children in the region has decreased marginally from 53 per cent to 46 per cent in 2005.
The report said that progress in improving child nutrition was “unacceptably slow” in the region. It found that in South Asia, almost 30 per cent of the population was living on a dollar a day.
“The MDGs are still achievable, if we act now. This report has shown our gains and progress but it has also pointed out the gaps and how much remains to be done,” said Syeda Hameed, member, Planning Commission.
The MDG report found that 43 per cent of South Asia’s urban population lived in slum conditions and 62 per cent of the people did not have access to improved sanitation.
In South Asia, the participation of women in paid non-agricultural employment rose to 18 per cent from 13 per cent between 1990 and 2005. Still it is the lowest percentage of women working for wages, besides farm labour, in the world.
On health issues, the report said South Asia shared the dishonour of having the highest number of maternal deaths and the lowest proportion of skilled health attendants at birth.
Family rejection, social criticism, poverty— this lesbian couple has
survived them all - The Kathmandu Post
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Family rejection, social criticism, poverty— this lesbian couple has
survived them all The Kathmandu Post
2 hours ago
1 comment:
Just yesterday I was viewing MDG presentation by the Director of MDG Campaigns. The content made me laugh; it was the seriousness with which it was presented - "UN has made MDG but nobody is aware about it - so UN has launched the campaign to make people all over the world aware!" Does not this tell a pathetic UN story? The way they work! I was in dis-belief to hear such thing. What a waste of Global experts time, money and other resources. Its a big joke that MDG were pompously made in 2000, and exactly half way on the path to 2015; we see UN spending money on campaigning in London by organizing rallies. Ah! It sucks and pains. Everyone knows MDGs won't be achieved, because the people at work in UN do not understand the gruesome reality of poverty and local dynamics. Earning dollars / pounds sitting in Washington / London - and talking diplomatically; can we expect anything from this dubious fools? Things need to change, but it is too late now. I remember of 1980s Eradicate World Hunger campaign by 1990. Millions of money were spent - people who worked became rich are retired now; hunger and poverty remains. It would be 1950, and MDG would had got some other form and name with new funding - just to make ambitious minds rich - nothing to do with poor or poverty. It is all about how I get rich and move up my career!
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