The Millennium Development Goals: SOUTHERN ASIA

In September 2000, the largest ever gathering of heads of state ushered in the new millennium by adopting the UN Millennium Declaration. The declaration, endorsed by 189 countries, was then translated into a roadmap setting out goals to be reached by 2015.

The eight goals in the section on development and poverty eradication are known as The Millenium Development Goals. They build on agreements made at major United Nations’ conferences of the 1990s and represent commitments to reduce poverty and hunger, to tackle ill health, gender inequality, lack of education, lack of access to clean water, and environmental degradation. The big difference from their predecessors is that rather than just set targets for what developing countries aspire to achieve, the goals are framed as a compact that recognises the contribution that developed countries can make through fair trade, development assistance, debt relief, access to essential medicines, and technology transfer.

Next year another important milestone will be carried out, with the Conference on Sustainable Development –Río +20-, being an opportunity to generate momentum in this direction, and so, vital for achieving the MDGs.

Despite the report take into account the situation for all the developing countries, in this post we are going to focus in Southern Asia, whose countries included are shown in the following picture:

MDGs 2015 GOALS

#1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

One of the things that allow us to measure the poverty and so, the hunger of a country is the income that people have to survive. In this sense, we could see how at the same time that the MDGs were adopted , the aids directed to developing countries were increasing, showing a sustained growth in these countries, especially in Asia, getting a poverty-reduction in the Southern part of the continent from 49% to 39% (being India the most relevant case, reducing to 31% if we exclude it) between 1990 and 2005.

The expectations are of continuing decreasing, even though the actual financial crisis that began in the advanced countries of North America and Europe, which mean a slower growth globally.

In terms of achieving full and productive employment (on the left), and the porpotion of own-account and contributing family workers in total employment (on the right), there are not big advances, and the situation is more or less the same, comparing it with 2000:

Sadly, the most remarkable figures in Southern Asia are found in the undernutration, in such a way that there was no meaningful improvement among children in the poorest households in the period between 1995 and 2009, while underweight prevalence among children from the richest 20 per cent of households decreased by almost a third:

#2: Achieve universal primary education

In the developing countries as a whole, enrolment in primary education has increased slowlyIs. Is the case of Southern Asia, which is another target to improve, as still there is a distribution of 16 million of children out of school, representing the 24%.

On the other hand, Southern Asia lead the way in expanding literacy among youth, with an increase of 20 percentage points (from 60% to 80%). Despite that, there is still 65 million of all illiterate youth living in Southern Asia.

#3: Promote gender equality and empower women

As the years pass, we see how the possibility for girls to access to the primary, secondary and tertiary education is approaching to the boys, and framed as an ambitius goal of the MDGs of reaching almost the 100%.

We see also a considerable improvement in the proportion of women in paid work, being in aproximately a 20%, which is one of the greatest results among the developing countries.

The number of women in the Southern Asia parliaments is 18 in 2011, increased in 11 since 2000, which means the start of the women of being represented in all the roles that exist in a country.

#4: Reduce child mortality

Southern Asia has the second highest rate in under-five mortality , with 69 deaths per 1.000 live births or about one child in 14. Over half of all these childhood deaths occur in the first 28 days after birth, pointing to the need for better post-natal care. The main reason of this (about a third) is the under nutrition, so, it is reallly important to focus our efforts to fight illnesses such us pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria, for trying to save the lives of millions of children.

Moreover, it is important to realize in fact that is in the rural areas and children from the poorest households, are more damaged to the possibility of dying.

#5: Improve maternal health

Even though Sothern Asia has made steady progress in this issue, with a 53% decline in maternal mortality between 1990 and 2008, the number of 280 deaths per 100.000 live births continue being quite big. Therefore, the objective fixed by the MDGs is to decrease it in a 50%.

The maternal care has improved, above all due to the increase in deliveries attended by health personnel, wich allows to detect and manage possible complications during the pregnancy and childbirth. Aproximately the 70% of pregnant women receive at leasr minimal care.

In terms of pregnancy among women between 15 to 19 years old has decreased a lot, from 89% por 1000 births in 1990 to 53% in 2009. Despite that, the need for contraceptives follows being a principle aid for them, basicly through the family support.

#6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

Regarding to the different diseases we can find, the number of new HIV infections per year per 100 people aged 15-49 in 2009 in Southern Asia have decreased to 0.02, from the 0.04 in 2001. These good numbers are due to the increasing knowledge about this disease among people, and also because of everytime more population living with HIV (including also women to prevent mother-to-child transmission) are receiving antiretroviral treatment. In 2004 the percentage of people treated was of 2 in Southern Asia, and in 2009 it increased until 24.

#7: Ensure environmental sustainability

The CO² emissions in 1990  in Southern Asia  was 1.0 Billions of metric tons and 2.5 in 2008 a significant increase (mostly due to to the induatrial developement in countries like India), water resources in the region in 2005 was 58% and scarcity 60%  a bit far from sustainable limits which is 75%. In respect to social issues and environmental impact, the proportion of population using improved sanitation facilities in 1990 was 25% and 36% in 2008 very far from 2015 target of 63%.

In terms of sanitation facilities, although the general percentage has improved till a value of 36%  in 2008, the parity between urban/rural ratio still contiunue being quite unfavorable, in such a way that imrpoved sanitation has failed to reach the poorest households in parts of Southern Asia.

#8: Develop a global partnership for development

The percentage of the external debt service payments which means the proportion of export revenues points out a decrease deeply from 13.7% to 3.5 % (from 2000 to 2009). The UN report indicates that the ratio of public debt service to exports increased for all developing regions except Southern Asia, Western Asia and Oceania, with the overall average rising to 3.6 %. Rich countries should provide debt-relief, aid, financial stability and access to new technology for developing countries backed by a commitment to free trade and market access.

To conclude, I would say that most of Southern Asia has been left behind in the overall economic upturn in Asia. In the past three decades, the economies of Southern Asia’s countries have grown by 4 to 6 per cent and the gross national income by only 1.4 per cent. Although poverty declined by one third, the incidence of poverty, in terms of the percentage of the population living below the government poverty line, is higher in Southern Asia than in any other region in the world except sub-Saharan Africa.

Resources:

The Millennium Development Goal Report 2011: www.un.org/millenniumgoals/11_MDG%20Report_EN.pdf

United Nations Millennium Declaration: http://www.un.org/millennium/declaration/ares552e.htm

Opinion Article (BMJ, A Haines): http://www.bmj.com/content/329/7462/394.short

Rural Poverty Portal: http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/web/guest/region/home/tags/asia

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