Major MDG targets achieved
Summary of MDG�s progress report prepared
JAGARAN CHAKMA
Despite taking major strides in achieving the targets of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), Bangladeshs poverty pockets in remote areas and char lands, reduction of income disparity along with the low economic participation of women remain as major challenges, a summary of MDGs progress report 2015 said.
The summary has been prepared with the aim to be used by the Bangladesh delegation led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the 70th UNGA to be held from September 15-30 in New York.
According to the summary Bangladesh has made remarkable progresses in the areas of poverty alleviation, ensuring food security, primary school enrolment, gender parity in primary and secondary-level education, lowering of infant and under-five mortality rate and maternal mortality rate, improving immunisation coverage and reducing the incidence of communicable diseases.
However, there are some areas that need greater attention are employment generation, increases in primary school completion and adult literacy rates, creation of decent wage employment for women, increase in the presence of skilled health professionals during child delivery, increase in the forest coverage and coverage of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), the summary added.
Regarding Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger the report said Bangladesh has made commendable progress in respect of eradication of poverty and hunger. It has sustained a GDP growth rate of 6 plus percent in recent years that has played a positive role in eradicating poverty. The robust growth has been accompanied by corresponding improvements in several social indicators such as increased life expectancy (70.4 in 2013) and lower fertility rate (2.3 in 2014) despite having one of the worlds highest population densities.
However, unemployment as well as underemployment remains dominant among the young people in the country. The absolute number of poor people under the upper poverty line is 39.2 million and under the lower poverty line is 20.4 million.
About gender equality and empowerment of women, the report said Bangladesh has already achieved the targets of gender parity in primary and secondary education at the national level.
In 2015, Bangladesh was awarded the prestigious Women in Parliaments Global Forum award, known as WIP award, for its outstanding success in closing the gender gap in the political sphere. Bangladesh ranks 10th out of 142 countries.
Bangladesh is on track for meeting the target thats measured on three different parameters such as under-five mortality rate, infant mortality rate and immunization against measles.
The under-five mortality rate was 151 per 1000 live births in 1990, which has come down to 41 per 1000 live births in 2013 and hence achieved the MDG target before the stipulated time. Likewise, the infant mortality rate was 94 per 1000 live births in 1990, which has reduced to 32 per 1000 live births in 2013; hence its on the verge of achieving the target of 31 by 2015.
According to the Bangladesh Maternal Mortality Survey (BMMS), the maternal mortality ratio has declined from 574 per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 170 per in 2013, showing a 70 percent decline in the last 23 years.
According to the National AIDS/STD Programmes (NASP), condom use rate at last high risk sex was 43 percent in 2013. Proportion of population aged 15-24 years with comprehensive correct knowledge of HIV/AIDS was 17.70 percent in 2013.
There was a significant improvement in the reduction of malarial deaths in the country over the years. The prevalence of malaria per 100,000 people was 776.9 in 2008, which has come down to 434 in 2014.
At present there is only 13.40 percent of land in Bangladesh having tree cover with density of 30 percent and above and the area having tree cover is much lower than the target set for 2015 (20 percent).
However, access to safe water for all is a challenge, as arsenic and salinity intrusion as a consequence of climate change will exacerbate the availability of safe water, especially for the poor.
During the last 24 years, Bangladesh on an average received $ 1,736 million ODA per year (grants: $ 635 million, loans: US$ 1,101 million). The disbursed ODA as a proportion of Bangladeshs GDP has declined from 5.59 percent in FY 90-91 to 1.78 percent in FY 13-14. During the same period, per capita ODA disbursement saw fluctuating figures ranging from $ 19.79 to $ 7.60. Out of the 34-member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), nine countries provided $ 748.02 million ODA to Bangladesh in 2013-14. The amount was about 24.25 percent of the total ODA received by Bangladesh in that particular year.
Referring to a study the report pointed out that to achieve MDGs Bangladesh needs foreign assistance of $ 5.0 and $ 3.0 billion per year under the business as usual and high growth scenarios respectively.
However, the MDG Progress Report 2014 reveals that from 1990-91 to 2013-14, Bangladesh, on an average, received $ 1.74 billion ODA per year, which has been far short of the required $ 3.0 billion per year assuming attaining high growth regimes.
