Millennium Development Goals

For a dignified and enduring future

by Dhaneshi Yatawara

At the dawn of the millennium, 147 Heads of States and Governments around the world signed and 189 nations adopted the United Nations Millennium Declaration at the General Assembly Millennium Summit at the United Nations Headquarters at New York City, USA in September 2000 - recognizing the collective responsibility to uphold the principles of human dignity, equality and equity at the global level and as the duty to all the world's people, especially the most vulnerable and, in particular, the children of the world, to whom the future belongs.

Sri Lanka along with 190 countries signed the Declaration, committing to free men, women and specially children from the wretched conditions of poverty, making the right to development a reality for every one, as per the Declaration states.

Drawn from the targets and actions in the Millennium Declaration, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are formed responding to the major development obstacles we face globally.

MDGs are eight goals to be achieved by year 2015 effectively - commitment to put in place a long-term agenda for development, peace and security aimed at specific quantitative development achievements. The eight MDGs break down into eighteen quantifiable targets that are measured by 48 indicators.

The MDGs were revised in October 2007 when the UN General Assembly adopted four additional targets. The eight goals and twenty-one targets are as follows.

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

* Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than one dollar a day

* Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people

* Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger

2. Achieve universal primary education

* Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling.

3. Promote gender equality and empower women

* Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005, and at all levels by 2015.

4. Reduce child mortality

* Reduce by two-thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate.

5. Improve maternal health

* Reduce by three quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio.

* Achieve, by 2015, universal access to reproductive health

6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases

* Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS.

* Achieve, by 2010, universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for all those who need it.

* Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases.

7. Ensure environmental sustainability

* Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes; reverse loss of environmental resources.

* Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss

* Halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation (for more information see the entry on water supply).

* By 2020, to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum-dwellers

8. Develop a global partnership for development

* Develop further an open trading and financial system that is rule-based, predictable and non-discriminatory. Includes a commitment to good governance, development and poverty reduction-nationally and internationally.

* Address the special needs of the least developed countries. This includes tariff and quota free access for their exports; enhanced programme of debt relief for heavily indebted poor countries; and cancellation of official bilateral debt; and more generous official development assistance for countries committed to poverty reduction.

* Address the special needs of landlocked and small island developing States.

* Deal comprehensively with the debt problems of developing countries through national and international measures in order to make debt sustainable in the long term.

* In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable essential drugs in developing countries.

* In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications

On the path to a dignified, flourishing future for all........

Eradicating poverty

"The target is to reduce ratio of people living on less than $2 per day to 11% and the population who are below the official poverty line to 13%," National Council for Economic Development (NCED) states. NCED, under the Ministry of Finance and Planning, brings together stakeholders from the private and state sectors to develop economic policies and action plans aiming at achieving the MDGs by 2015.

The Government's policy on reducing poverty is mainly based on pro-poor and pro-growth approach and strategy of reducing sharp regional disparities in poverty and wealth creation.

Jathika Saviya, Gama Neguma, Maga Neguma, Gamidiriya, Gampubuduwa, Kantha Diriya, Kiri Gammana concept, Neganahira Udanaya, Township development programmes, programmes to develop the education sector, programmes to develop agriculture and fisheries sectors, to develop industrial sectors etc. are enlisted to achieve the target.

The Budget 2008 backs up lot of these programmes in a mega approach. Construction of express highways, flyovers, bridges and development of rural road network, Development of railway and its net work, Rebuilding Tsunami affected areas, Power and energy development projects such as Norochcholai Coal power plant, Upper Kotmale Hydro Power plant, Development of water supply systems and drainage systems, water tanks are few of those high scale projects scheduled.

In addition to the proposed allocations for the above programmes, the Budget 2008 highlights strengthening the Cooperative system as a methodology that can make a major contribution towards reducing power. To modernize all island wide outlets to be able to distribute essential commodities to consumers, a grant up to a maximum of Rs. One million is proposed in this budget. "As such, it is proposed that over 300 Co-operative Societies which are scattered island wide will be linked with Lak Sathosa outlet. I propose to offer a grant up to a maximum of Rs. 1 million to all Co-operative Societies to modernize outlets to be able to distribute essential commodities to consumers. Further the Lak Sathosa outlets will be expanded up to 200 on an urgent basis. Budget Shops will be set-up in more populated areas for which it is proposed to allocate Rs. 650 million." - Budget 2008

The Budget also proposes an allocation of Rs. 200 million to introduce a program to make available rice at a concessionary price to the communities in plantation and neighbouring areas, in order to encourage them towards rice and rice flour consumption. Priority will be given to setup Lak Sathosa and Co-operative Societies in these areas in order to ensure the success of this program.

Concessions extended to the fisheries sector, such as assisting the Fisheries Cooperation in purchasing 19 identified fish varieties and Rs. 100 million for the completion of the housing project under 'Diyawara Gammana', can be a foremost contribution to lessen the poverty level among the fishing community.

The fertilizer subsidy, where it is proposed to avail all varieties of fertilizer at Rs. 350 per bag for paddy cultivation and to avail Urea fertilizer at a concessionary price of Rs. 1,200 per bag for land owners owning less than 5 acres and Rs. 15,000 million allocation to continue with this subsidy.

Universal primary education

"The Government is to pursue "MDG-plus" education policy emphasizing the provision of equitable quality education," the NCED explained. Major emphasis will be placed on improving the quality of primary and secondary education, expanding and improving the quality higher and vocational education, and expanding non-formal education among non-school going children and elders.

The net enrolment rate in primary education is 97% in 2000-2001 and the literacy rate of 15-24 year olds is 95% these two percentages are both much higher than the South Asia regional averages.

The Budget proposes to increase the number of year 5 scholarships from 10,000 to 15,000 to facilitate education of children of low income groups in addition to the number of steps already taken to uplift the education sector through advancing skills of teachers of all levels, providing infrastructure facilities to required schools, providing uniform material free of charge etc. Jana Sevana programme under the Ministry of Housing and Construction Industry, Plantation Housing and Estate roads development under the Ministry of Infrastructure and Livestock Development, Vidunana under the Ministry of Science and Technology and Nane Sala project under the President's Office are initiated with the aim of achieving this goal along with the Mahinda Chinthana concept.

New Model Primary Schools Development, Provision of Text Books, Bursaries and Scholarships, Nutritional Food and Uniforms, Secondary Education Modernization Project, Provision of Solar Power Operated Computers for Rural Schools, Education Sector Development Grant under the Ministry of Education is aligned to back up achieving the target.

Empower women

The major challenges with respect to promoting gender quality and empowerment of women in Sri Lanka, as the NCED reports state are, ensuring the legal rights of women, reducing gender imbalances in skills development, increase in the political participation of women, and reducing poverty of war and tsunami affected women.

Comparatively, Sri Lankan women have a better status than women in many other developing countries.

To uplift the Industries Cluster in this aspect, a Textile and Apparel College is planed under the Ministry of Textile Industry Development, as there is a significant contribution from women to the apparel industry.

And the Dahas Diriya Programme under the Ministry of Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion also initiates goal specific projects.

Reduce child mortality

The Government will pay particular attention on the provision of quality care and services to pregnant mothers and infants in the North East and other lagging Districts.

The infant mortality and under-five child mortality rates are relatively low compared to South East Asian Region due to the widespread system of maternal and child health clinics and island-wide family health programmes.

The under-five child mortality rate decreased from 22.2 per 1,000 in 1991 to 13.5 per 1,000 in 2002. The infant mortality rate also shows a remarkable decline from 17.7 per 1,000 in 1991 to 11.2 per 1,000 in 2002.

Development of Hospitals serving the target group along with programmes such as Thriposha and Infant Milk programmes assuring proper nutrition for mothers are enlisted, the NCED states.

Improve maternal health

The Government maternal and child care system currently provides domiciliary and clinic services to nearly 80% of pregnant women and infants, statistics collected at the NCED discloses.

Access is provided throughout the country to family planning and counselling services on birth control and 97% of births are attended by a skilled medical worker.

The maternal mortality was reduced by one-third, from 42.3 per 100,000 live births in 1991 to 27.5 per 100,000 in 2002. It is planned to reduce this ratio further to 20 per 100,000 by 2015 through further improvements in the health delivery system in relation to obstetric care and programmes targeting maternal under nutrition.

Senehasa Programme under the Child Development and Women's Empowerment Ministry, Thriposha Programme and the Mother and Child Nutrition Programme under the Ministry of Health Care and Nutrition are enlisted in addition to the programmes initiated to reduce child mortality which also contributes to the MDG of improving maternal health.

Combat HIV/AIDS

Sri Lanka is not considered to be a vulnerable country in terms of HIV/AIDS infection. The HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is less than 1% across the country and in all population groups.

Although Sri Lanka is branded as a country of low level HIV epidemic, the Government is launching an island-wide awareness campaign on HIV/AIDS preventative measures and care for those living with HIV/Aids.

It is planned to reduce prevalence of HIV/AIDS among the 15-24 years age group from 0.05% in 2001 to 0.01% by 2015 through expanding prevention programmes for highly vulnerable groups and strengthening hospital facilities for handling the HIV/AIDS threat and treatment.

Under the Ministry of Health projects to fight Against TB and Malaria, World Bank funded Health Sector Development Project, National STD Aids Control Programme, Development of the Nephrology Unit at Maligawatta, Provision of Community Health Facilities through Indigenous System of Medicine Indigenous Medicine, Development of Homoeopathy System, Development of Ayurveda Teaching Hospital at Borella comes under the goal specified projects.

Environmental sustainability

As the NCED officials explained the main environment sustainability challenges include rapid decline of forest cover, diminishing biological diversity, carbon dioxide emissions and the prevalence of unhygienic, underserved settlements - particularly in the City of Colombo.

The Government has already taken initiatives to control the emissions from vehicles and to improve urban infrastructure facilities coupled with relocation of slum and shanty dwellers.

Between 1990 and 2000 the per capita emission of carbon dioxide increased from 0.2 to 0.5 metric tones per person. However, the other environment related indicators such as proportion of population with access to safe drinking water and the proportion of housing units with access to secured tenure in urban sector have improved considerably during the past decade.

Under the goal specified projects are the Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building for Environment Project, Forest Resources Management Project, Protected Area Management and Wildlife Conservation Project under the Ministry of Environment.

Along with these, water supply system management, cluster housing and settlement improvements, polythene waste management and disaster management are concerned, the NCED says.

Develop global partnerships

Sri Lanka has actively promoted the development of regional links and committed to the promotion of a restriction free multilateral trading system through signing SAPTA, Bangkok Agreement, Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) and Global System of Trade Preferences (GSPT) schemes.

Sri Lanka has also entered into Free Trade Agreements with India, Pakistan and BIMST-EC Agreement where Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand are members. Sri Lanka has attached great importance to implement the Uruguay Round Agreements with a view to establishing a fair trade system.

Overseas Development Assistance is an important sphere of development partnership. Sri Lanka's dependency on foreign aid goes back to nearly four decades and today Sri Lanka is classified as a moderately indebted country. The main challenge in this area is effective and efficient utilization of foreign aid to ensure that people get maximum benefit from them, NCED reports highlight.

The proposals in the Budget 2008 for a Project Management Department which will ensure direct supervision in the preparation of agreements and in the implementation of contractual arrangements, which are undertaken by various Ministries and Departments, will largely contribute to make these MDGs achieved efficiently and affectively. This is an urgent necessity.

An allocation of Rs. 50 million is proposed for the setting up of the new department in the Ministry of Finance and Planning consisting of multi-disciplinary experts in the field of law, business, finance, engineering and project planning. It will undertake overall coordination and supervision of all projects. Coordination between Provincial Council and line Ministries as proposed in the Budget will definitely uplift quality and effectiveness of the results.

It is stated in the current Budget, "Development work carried out by various line ministries and provincial councils, at provincial level require to be co-ordinated in order to enhance productivity and ensure that people in areas in which such work is carried out, could enjoy more meaningful development. It is proposed to implement a review mechanism targeting education, health, roads, agricultural and irrigation sector activities, with the corporation of relevant ministries and provincial agencies."

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