Much to be done in MDGs’ homestretch

THE CLOCK is ticking for a landmark global move to cut poverty and improve the lot of the world’s poorest, and while some targets have been achieved, much remains to be done until the concerted effort formally ends next year, according to the latest assessment the United Nations (UN) released on Monday.

Children play next to a puddle in Manila in this May 27, 2014 photo. Optimism is soaring that the Philippines is finally becoming an Asian tiger economy, but critics caution a tiny elite that has long dominated in amassing most of the new wealth while the poor miss out. — AFP

It will be recalled that UN member states committed in September 2000 to the attainment of the eight goals and 18 targets forming the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) over the period 1990-2015.

While the report did not offer country-specific performance, a check with the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that roughly an equal number of 50 tracked MDG indicators showed either fast or slow progress.

“This report… reaffirms that the MDGs have made a profound difference in people’s lives,” UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon was quoted as saying in The Millennium Development Goals Report 2014.

“The concerted efforts of national governments, the international community, civil society and the private sector have helped expand hope and opportunity for people around the world,” he noted.

“But more needs to be done to accelerate progress… We need bolder and focused action where significant gaps and disparities exist.”

The eight MDGs are: eradicate 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.

“There has been important progress across all goals, with some targets already having met well ahead of the 2015 deadline,” the report stated.

It noted signs that a number of targets have been achieved, among them:

• The world has reduced poverty by half;

• Efforts in the fight against malaria and tuberculosis have yielded results;

• Halving the proportion of people without access to potable water source was achieved five years ahead of schedule in 2010;

• Disparities in primary school education between boys and girls are being eliminated in all developing regions;

• Political participation of women has continued to increase; and

• Development assistance has surged, the global trading system has stayed generally favorable for developing economies and their debt burden has remained relatively low.

“Substantial progress has been made in most areas, but much more effort is needed to reach the set targets,” the report read.

Among others, it noted that:

• Major trends that threaten environmental sustainability — including global emissions of carbon dioxide — continue, though “examples of successful global action exist”;

• Hunger continues to decline but “progress has slowed down in the past decade”, hence, “immediate additional efforts are needed to reach the MDG target”;

• Chronic undernutrition among young children declined, but one in four children — totaling some 162 million — are still affected;

• Child mortality has been almost halved, but preventable diseases are still the main causes of deaths of children aged under five years “and appropriate actions need to be taken to address them”;

• Even as maternal mortality ratio dropped by 45% to 210 deaths per 100,000 live births last year from 380/100,000 in 1990, “much more needs to be done to provide care to pregnant women”;

• Antiretroviral therapy has been saving lives of HIV-infected patients, but its reach “much be expanded further”;

• Over a quarter of the world’s population has gained access to improved sanitation, “yet, a billion people still resort to open defecation, which poses a huge risk to communities that are often poor and vulnerable already”; and

• While roughly 90% of children in developing economies are attending primary school, “progress stagnated” in this indicator after most gains were achieved by 2007.

“The MDGs show that progress is possible, providing the platform for further action,” the report read.

“Much has been accomplished through the concerted and focused efforts of all… but the agenda remains unfinished,” it added.

“The post-2015 development agenda is slated to carry on the work of the MDGs and integrate the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development,” the report stressed.

“Continued progress towards MDGs in the remaining year is essential to provide a solid foundation for the post-2015 development agenda.” — MFEF