MDGs will only be partly achieved: VP

Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 08/04/2010 9:21 AM

The UN-sponsored Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) may fall short of expectations as developed countries are still struggling to recover from the 2009 financial crisis.

“Efforts to promote development have suffered in the wake of the crisis and commitments made by developed countries have been missed,” Indonesian Vice President Boediono told representatives of 30 Asian and Pacific countries, 20 observing countries and the UN, as well as international and regional organizations at a two-day special ministerial meeting for MDGs review in Asia and the Pacific, which began Tuesday.

For example, he said, developed countries managed to contribute only 0.31 percent of gross national product for official development assistance to developing countries — far below the target of 0.7 percent.

“The economic recovery has been uneven, with developed countries estimated to grow by 1 percent to 2 percent on average, while growth in most developing countries has returned to between 6 percent and 8 percent on average in 2010,” he said.

Boediono added that four main MDG challenges still remained that affected the Asia-Pacific region.

“First, extreme poverty is still prevalent, especially in Southeast Asia, with severe child malnutrition in South Asia and Southeast Asia,” he said.

Wide disparity in access to primary school enrollment still existed in the Pacific and the school dropout rate was still high in South Asia and Southeast Asia, Boediono said.

“Gender disparity in secondary and tertiary education remains widespread,” he said.

“Third, infant and child mortality remain high, as do maternal mortality and HIV infection rates.”

The last challenge was deforestation that continued at an alarming rate, while CO2 emissions remained high across the region, except for North Asia and Central Asia, he said.

Boediono said Indonesia had managed to cut in half the number of people living on less than a dollar a day and improve detection and treatment of tuberculosis through directly observed treatment short course.

“MDGs that will most likely be achieved by 2015 are to ensure all children will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling, eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, and reduce the under-five mortality rate,” he said.

Meanwhile, he said, more hard work would be needed by 2015 to reduce maternal mortality rates, combat HIV/AIDS and increase the size of forested areas.

In response to Indonesia’s achievements and future goals, former UN special ambassador for MDGs in Asia and the Pacific Erna Witoelar said Indonesia should look to Malaysia and Thailand, which have both exceeded their MDGs years before the deadline.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the meeting, she said Malaysia and Thailand had set targets of zero poverty and universal school enrollment for children.

Thailand, she continued, had also exceeded its targets for maternal mortality rate.

Global anti-poverty agency ActionAid recommended that MDGs be legislated and implemented as human rights.

The UN General Assembly declared access to clean water and sanitation a human right in a resolution that more than 40 countries, including the US, did not support.

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