Millennium Development Goals
1.End poverty and hunger
Target A:
Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose
income is less than $1 a day.
Target B:
Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all,
including women and young people.
Target C:
Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who
suffer from hunger
A: The global economic crisis has slowed progress, but the world is still on track to
meet the poverty reduction target
Prior to the crisis, the depth of poverty had diminished in almost
every region
B: Deterioration of the labour market, triggered by the economic crisis, has
resulted in a decline in employment
As jobs were lost, more workers have been forced into vulnerable employment
Since the economic crisis, more workers find themselves and their
families living
in extreme poverty
• C: Hunger may have spiked in 2009, one of the many dire consequences of the
global
food and financial crises
• Progress to end hunger has been stymied in most regions
• Despite some progress, one in four children in the developing world are still
underweight
• Children in rural areas are nearly twice as likely to be underweight as those in
urban areasn
• In some regions, the prevalence of underweight children is dramatically higher
among the poor
• Over 42 million people have been uprooted by conflict or persecution
The dramatic surge in food prices has plunged millions of poor people and many net
food importing poor countries into a food crisis. Consequently, it has also put at risk
their chances of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.
Whilst the focus has been on the impact on the MDG1 of reducing poverty and
hunger, given the close inter-connectedness between all the 8 MDGs, the impact on
these sections of the poor on health, education and livelihoods more broadly, cannot
be underestimated.
Achieving the Goals
Doctors at a local health clinic in Brazil learned the reason their patients who
regularly came in with health problems related to poverty stopped coming was due to
a national anti-hunger program that gave children three meals a day.
“It was simply that these children were starting to eat better,” says Nélia Maria Cruz,
the clinic’s chief.
The children were among thousands who have benefited from Fome Zero (“Zero
Hunger”), a national effort to eliminate hunger in Brazil.
The program’s formula is simple: Give each Brazilian the opportunity to have at least
three meals a day. It might not seem like such a bold challenge but approximately one
quarter of Brazil’s 170 million people currently live below the poverty line.
To meet the immediate needs of everyone who goes hungry in the country, the
government needs to provide emergency help to 11 million families, according to
official estimates. At the same time, the effort must include long-term actions to
enable the population to manage on its own, so that in the future every family is able
to buy its own food.
by Rogerio Waldrigues Galindo from Perspectives in Health
2. Achieve universal primary education
Target A:
Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike,
will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling
• Hope dims for universal education by 2015, even as many poor countries
make tremendous strides
• Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia are home to the vast majority of
children out of school
• Inequality thwarts progress towards universal education.
Primary education in Mozambique comprises two levels, 1st Level (Grades 1 to 5)
and 2nd Level (Grades 6 to 7). According to the Millennium Development Goals,
Mozambique should be able to achieve universal primary schooling by 2015, i.e.,
100% of children of primary school age should be attending school at this level.
According to the database of the Ministry of Education (MEC), the average net
primary school enrolment index was 95.5% in 2007, a considerable increase
compared to 2003 (69,4%). There is a slight difference between boys (97.1%) and
girls (93, 1%). In general terms, the MEC records (official statistics on Education)
show an important reduction in the gaps amongst the provinces with regards to
gender, when compared to 2003 outcomes.
According to Official Statistics, the aggregate 1st level (Grade 5) primary school
completion rate has significantly increased from 38.7% in 2003 to 72.6% in 2007.
Comparing the aggregate completion index between boys (80%) and girls (65.1%)
there is a significant gap. However, there has been an effort towards reduction of
gender gaps, despite the differences still prevailing. Comparing results by province,
there is a higher rate of completion in Maputo City (121.8%) and a lower one (60%)
in Zambézia Province. The data also show that in some provinces girls outdo boys in
terms of school performance. According to more recent MEC data on literacy
schooling, the literacy schooling index has risen from 46.4% in 2003 to 48.1% in
2005. A gender analysis shows an literacy rate for women of 33.3% and 66.7% for
men.
3. Health
Child health
Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG4) calls for reducing by two-thirds the
mortality rate of children under the age of 5 years by 2015.
Quick facts:
• Developing countries count for 99% of the total number of child deaths in the
world (UNICEF - lancet)
• Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for about half the total deaths of children under
five in the developing world.
• Almost 90% of all child deaths are attributable to just six conditions: neonatal
causes, pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria, measles, and HIV/AIDS.
How is the goal progressing?
Overall, some progress has been made towards the achievement of MDG4. The total
number of under-5 deaths in the world has declined from 12.5 million in 1990 to 8.8
million in 2008. Despite the decline in the number of infant deaths many of these
could have been prevented if developing countries had well functioning and resourced
health systems.
Among the 67 countries with high mortality rates (40 per 1000 or more), only ten are
on track to track to meet MDG4. While progress has been made in Latin America,
Africa and Asia combined represent 93% of all under-5 deaths. For African and Asian
countries the rate of decline in child mortality is still largely off track.
Many of the causes of under-five mortality in developing countries could be
eliminated by simple interventions. Access to clean water and sanitation can reduce
child deaths from pneumonia and diarrhoea; leading causes of child mortality which
account for 3·5 million child deaths a year. Basic, cost-effective measures such as
vaccines, antibiotics, micronutrient supplements, insecticide-treated bed nets and
improved breastfeeding practices would prevent these deaths, but millions still die
because they lack access to basic services.
Improve maternal health
Millennium Development Goal 5 (MDG 5) aims to reduce by three quarters the
maternal mortality ratio by 2015 and to universalise the access to sexual and
reproductive health.
Quick Facts:
• Every year, 536,000 women and girls die as a result of complications during
pregnancy, childbirth or the six weeks following delivery.
• 99% of these deaths occur in developing countries, half of them in sub-
Saharan Africa and one third in South Asia.
• A further nine million women suffer complications that can result in life long
pain, disability and socio-economic exclusion.
• Around 215 millions couples per year do not have access to modern
contraception methods.
How is the goal progressing?
Progress in reducing maternal mortality and universalising access to sexual and
reproductive health services and supplies is most off-track.
Overall, improvements have been slow and almost absent in Sub-Saharan Africa
where women face the greatest lifetime risk of dying during pregnancy and childbirth.
The 450 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in developing countries in 2005 –
equivalent to one woman every minute – compare to just 9 deaths per 100,000 live
births in the developed world. The reduction in maternal deaths since 1990 was just
30 deaths per 100,000 live births. This small decline reflects progress only in some
regions. (MDGs Report 2009)
According to the World Health Organisation (2007), between 1990 and 2005 the
maternal mortality ratio declined by only 5%. Two other MDG 5 indicators,
adolescent birth rates and percentage of contraception used among women, have also
shown little progress: only 21% of sub-Saharan African women have access to
contraception and 123 of each 1000 children born have a teenage mother.
The direct causes of maternal deaths are haemorrhage, infection, obstructed labour,
hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, and complications of unsafe abortion. A
majority of these deaths and disabilities are preventable, being mainly due to
insufficient care during pregnancy and delivery. Around 20 million women have
unsafe abortions each year, and 3 million of the estimated 8.5 million who need care
for subsequent health complications do not receive it. About 15 % of pregnancies and
childbirths need emergency obstetric care because of complications that are difficult
to predict.
Investing in maternal and sexual health can have a great impact on the other
Development Goals. Greater use of condoms for contraception would reduce the
transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Reducing unplanned
births and family size would result in savings on public-sector spending for health,
water, sanitation and social services and reduce pressure on scarce natural resources,
making social and economic development goals easier to achieve. Amongst other
benefits, reducing unplanned pregnancies, particularly among adolescents, would
improve educational and employment opportunities for women, which would in turn
contribute to improving the status of women, increasing family savings, reducing
poverty and spurring economic growth.
Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria, TB and other diseases…
Millennium Development Goal 6 (MDG6) aims to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and
other diseases and sets specific targets to:
• halt the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015 and begin to reversal;
• provide universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for all those who need it
by 2010;
• halt and begin to reverse the spread of malaria and other major diseases by
2015
Quick Facts:
• Women account for half of all HIV infections in the world – this percentage
has not shown any decrease for the past seven years. In 2007, over 33 million
people were living with HIV and nearly three million people were newly-
infected.
• In 2008, there were 9.4 million new TB cases and 1.8 million people died,
including 500.000 people with HIV – equal to 4500 deaths a day
• An estimated 243 million cases of malaria were reported in 2008. Children
under five account for the majority of deaths caused by malaria.
How is the goal progressing?
Good progress has been made in reaching MDG 6, with the number of people newly
infected with HIV now in decline, and almost 4 million people receiving anti-
retroviral treatment (ARVs) in 2008. Despite this progress there are still 33 million
people living with HIV and less than half of those who need ARVs have access to
them.
The fight against malaria has also seen some progress thanks to increased funding and
focus on malaria control (i.e. mosquito bed nets). Nevertheless, malaria kills
approximately 1 million people a year, disproportionately affecting children under 5
and pregnant women. Although 24% of children under 5 are now using a mosquito
net, this is still far below the global target of 80%. In addition less than 15% of
children who are sick with fever receive effective anti-malarial medicine.
Though incidence rates of TB are dropping in all regions, the number of new TB
cases continues to rise due to population growth. 2.3 million people were cured of TB
in 2008, yet in the same year millions of patients were unable to access suitable
diagnosis and care, and 1·8 million people died from TB despite it being a curable
disease. The 2009 Global TB Control report also revealed that 1 in 4 TB deaths is
HIV related, twice as many as previously recognised.
To meet the challenge of MDG 6, a well-functioning, integrated and fully operational
health system – effective at local, regional and national levels, and staffed by well-
trained, well-managed and well-paid workers – is essential. Primary health care
remains the key element of any health system that aims to be accessible and respond
to the needs of all people. Sufficient resources to strengthen health systems that
prioritise comprehensive basic healthcare will facilitate the provision of services that
are pro-poor and accessible by all citizens, including those who are marginalised,
vulnerable and hard to reach.
