Philippines lags behind Millennium Development Goals

WHAT President-elect Benigno Aquino 3rd should make priorities are reducing poverty and improving maternal health since the Philippines has been overtaken by some African countries in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

According to a report by the Overseas Development Institute and the United Nations Millennium Campaign released on Monday, the Philippines did not make the list of the 20 countries that made the most in achieving the MDGs because the government was off-track in 40 percent of the 21 indicators in attaining the millennium goals.

The MDGs are a set of time-bound, concrete and specific goals to reduce extreme poverty, illiteracy and disease that 189 national leaders committed to achieve by 2015.

The goals are: end extreme poverty and hunger; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality and empower women; reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability; and develop a global partnership for development.

According to the MDG Report Card, the 20 countries that have made the most overall progress on achieving the MDGs are: Benin, Mali, Ethiopia, Gambia, Malawi, Vietnam, Uganda, Nepal, India, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Honduras, Mauritania, Ghana, China, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Togo. Majority of these countries are found in Africa.

The release of the MDG Report Card was made in time for the G-8 and G-20 world leaders meeting in Canada.

The report card’s analysis contrasts national-level progress in absolute terms, as distinct from progress relative to global MDG targets.

The MDG Report shows that low-income countries, especially in Africa, tend to rank on top in absolute progress, while middle-income countries tend to do better in closing the gap.

Although both measures are designed to gauge MDG progress, particularly in low-income countries, progress in absolute terms at the national level provides a fuller picture of developments by revealing significant differences in each country’s performance from the 1990 baseline year and since the adoption of the Millennium Declaration in 2000.

Poor countries

“Many of the world’s poorest countries are, in absolute terms, actually making significant progress toward achieving the MDGs, contrary to some misleading and negative reports,” Minar Pimple, acting director of the UN Millennium Campaign, said.

“Eleven of the 20 countries on the list are, in fact, among Africa’s poorest countries, such as Ethiopia, Uganda, Gambia, Rwanda and Mali,” Pimple added.

The MDG Report Card cites political leadership, accountability and adequate budgetary allocation as vital in achieving the goals. It added that active citizen participation is among the key contributors to the success of the 20 countries. It focuses on progress toward Goals 1, 4 and 5, which are ending extreme poverty and hunger, reducing child mortality and improving maternal health.

The report said that poverty incidence among the population in the Philippines increased to 32.9 percent in 2006 from 30 percent in 2003, with the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao posting the highest incidence at 61.8 percent.

Poverty incidence among families also worsened from 24.4 percent in 2003 to 26.9 percent in 2006. With the aftermath of the global economic slowdown, storms Ondoy and Pepeng hitting the country in 2009 and the El Niño phenomenon, a further worsening of poverty is anticipated in the 2009 poverty estimates.

Another MDG goal where the Philippines is lagging behind is improving maternal health.

The Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development Foundation Inc. reported that the maternal mortality ratio continues to worsen with 162 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births. Also, 11 Filipino women die every 24 hours from pregnancy and childbirth complications.

Despite the Philippines’ absence from the list, the country has actually made significant progress in reducing child mortality.

Infant and under-five years old mortality rates have been steadily decreasing since 1990, according to the National Demographic and Health Survey.

The infant mortality rate in 2008 was 25 per 1,000 live births, very nearly closing the gap with the target of reducing infant deaths to 19 by 2015. The Philippines had also consistently managed to bring the infant mortality numbers down from 80 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 34 deaths in 2008.

“The Philippines may not have made it to the Top 20 list, but this does not mean hope is lost. If some of the poorest countries in Africa are making progress, we have no doubt that the Philippines can also make it happen,” Jacqui Badcock, UN resident coordinator, said.

“All we need is government commitment, and a pro-active and sustained nationwide advocacy to keep government actions and intentions aligned with the MDGs,” Badcock added. –Darwin G. Amojelar Senior Reporter, Manila Times