World struggling to reach goals on poverty

GENEVA – Halfway through a 15-year global development plan, millions of people are being lifted out of dire poverty and millions of children are going to school, but the world is failing to sufficiently cut hunger, maternal mortality and infant death rates, the United Nations said yesterday.

Progress in reaching the Millennium Development Goals – set by global leaders in 2000 to alleviate world poverty, disease and hunger – has so far been mixed, the UN report card says. Some countries, such as China, have made great strides over the past 71?2 years, the report says.But success has remained elusive in other places, such as sub-Saharan Africa, where no country is on traack to meet goals of halving extreme poverty, ensuring universal primary education or stemming the AIDS pandemic by 2015.The results in the report suggest “success is still possible in most parts of the world.But they also point to how much remains to be done,” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said.”Millions of lives quite literally hang in the balance.”The 36-page progress report released Monday by the global body shows: The proportion of people living on less than US$1 a day in the developing world has declined to 19,2 per cent, from 23,4 per cent in 1999.In sub-Saharan Africa more than 40 per cent of people still live in extreme poverty.The U.N.said it was on track to meet its goal of bringing the global rate down to 15,8 per cent by 2015, but will fail to reach the 23,4 per cent benchmark set for African countries.Twenty-seven per cent of children under five in poorer countries are underweight – a key statistic in measuring global hunger – down from 33 per cent in 1990.The UN still hopes to halve the 1990 figure.Progress in Eastern Asia has been offset by sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia, where 46 per cent of infants are underweight.The number of African children receiving primary education has risen to 70 per cent from only 57 per cent at the start of the decade.Globally, 12 per cent of children are still out school, a number that is “unacceptably high,” according to the report, which said girls were excluded more often than boys.The number of people living with AIDS has risen by 6,6 million since 2001, to 39,5 million.Annual deaths have risen by 700 000, to 2,9 million.Anti-malaria efforts need more funding if they are to turn the tide in sub-Saharan Africa.Progress on tuberculosis is not fast enough to halve rates by 2015, especially south of the Sahara, the only region of the world where prevalence has increased this decade.The child mortality rate in poorer countries has come down 16 per cent since 1990.World leaders in 2000 pledged to cut the rate 67 per cent by 2015.”Some progress is being made in those regions where the challenges are greatest,” the report says, citing an increase in women’s political participation and success in the fight against child-killing scourges such as measles.But several factors were holding up overall success in reaching the goals.”The lack of employment opportunities for young people, gender inequalities, rapid and unplanned urbanisation, deforestation, increasing water scarcity and high HIV prevalence are pervasive obstacles,” the report said.”Moreover, insecurity and instability in conflict and post-conflict countries make long-term development efforts extremely difficult.”Other worrying data show more than 500 000 women still die each year from treatable and preventable complications during pregnancy or childbirth.Half the population in the developing world lacks basic sanitation, and carbon-dioxide emissions rose to 29 billion metric tonnes in 2004, from 23 billion in 1990.”Climate change is projected to have serious economic and social impacts, which will impede progress” toward the goals, the report said.Nampa-APSome countries, such as China, have made great strides over the past 71?2 years, the report says.But success has remained elusive in other places, such as sub-Saharan Africa, where no country is on traack to meet goals of halving extreme poverty, ensuring universal primary education or stemming the AIDS pandemic by 2015.The results in the report suggest “success is still possible in most parts of the world.But they also point to how much remains to be done,” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said.”Millions of lives quite literally hang in the balance.”The 36-page progress report released Monday by the global body shows: The proportion of people living on less than US$1 a day in the developing world has declined to 19,2 per cent, from 23,4 per cent in 1999.In sub-Saharan Africa more than 40 per cent of people still live in extreme poverty.The U.N.said it was on track to meet its goal of bringing the global rate down to 15,8 per cent by 2015, but will fail to reach the 23,4 per cent benchmark set for African countries.Twenty-seven per cent of children under five in poorer countries are underweight – a key statistic in measuring global hunger – down from 33 per cent in 1990.The UN still hopes to halve the 1990 figure.Progress in Eastern Asia has been offset by sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia, where 46 per cent of infants are underweight.The number of African children receiving primary education has risen to 70 per cent from only 57 per cent at the start of the decade.Globally, 12 per cent of children are still out school, a number that is “unacceptably high,” according to the report, which said girls were excluded more often than boys.The number of people living with AIDS has risen by 6,6 million since 2001, to 39,5 million.Annual deaths have risen by 700 000, to 2,9 million.Anti-malaria efforts need more funding if they are to turn the tide in sub-Saharan Africa.Progress on tuberculosis is not fast enough to halve rates by 2015, especially south of the Sahara, the only region of the world where prevalence has increased this decade.The child mortality rate in poorer countries has come down 16 per cent since 1990.World leaders in 2000 pledged to cut the rate 67 per cent by 2015.”Some progress is being made in those regions where the challenges are greatest,” the report says, citing an increase in women’s political participation and success in the fight against child-killing scourges such as measles.But several factors were holding up overall success in reaching the goals.”The lack of employment opportunities for young people, gender inequalities, rapid and unplanned urbanisation, deforestation, increasing water scarcity and high HIV prevalence are pervasive obstacles,” the report said.”Moreover, insecurity and instability in conflict and post-conflict countries make long-term development efforts extremely difficult.”Other worrying data show more than 500 000 women still die each year from treatable and preventable complications during pregnancy or childbirth.Half the population in the developing world lacks basic sanitation, and carbon-dioxide emissions rose to 29 billion metric tonnes in 2004, from 23 billion in 1990.”Climate change is projected to have serious economic and social impacts, which will impede progress” toward the goals, the report said.Nampa-AP