Training Report: Millennium Development Goals in the SAARC Region

Working Sessions
social services; strengthen social protection; improve quality service delivery; ensure the full participation of
all segments of society, including the poor and disadvantaged in decision-making processes; respect, promote
and protect human rights, including the right to development; enhance opportunities for women and girls and
advance the economic, legal and political empowerment of women; invest in the health of women and
children to drastically reduce the number of women and children who die from preventable causes; improve
governance system; maintain transparency and accountability in resource mobilization; promote South-
South and triangular cooperation, which complement North-South cooperation; strengthen regional ties;
promote effective public-private partnerships; expand access to financial services for the poor, especially
poor women; strengthen statistical capacity to produce reliable disaggregated data for better programs and
policy evaluation and formulation; strengthen and increase use of ICT.
Mr. Roomi S. Hayat, Chief Executive Officer, Institute of Rural Management, Islamabad made a presentaion
on ‘Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): 3 Years to the Deadline’. He mentioned that the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) have provided an important motivational force and yardstick for the progress. In
their design, the goals were deliberately ambitious and their achievements requiring unparalleled progress in
most countries. The fact that many countries will achieve a significant number of the goals and transform the
quality of life of hundreds of millions of people should be a sign of hope and spur an action for others. The
challenge for their remaining three years and beyond is to learn from and build on this progress.
He informed that this year’s UN report on progress towards the MDGs highlights several milestones. The
target of reducing extreme poverty by half has been reached five years ahead of the 2015 deadline as has the
target of halving the proportion of people who lack dependable access to improved sources of drinking water.
Conditions for more than 200 million people living in slums have been ameliorated double the 2020 target.
Primary school enrolment of girls equalled that of boys, and we have seen accelerating progress in reducing
child and maternal mortality.
The UN report represents a tremendous reduction in human suffering and is a clear validation of the approach
embodied in the MDGs. But, they are not a reason to relax. Projections indicate that in 2015 more than 600
million people worldwide will still be using unimproved water sources; almost one billion will be living on an
income of less than $1.25 per day; mothers will continue to die needlessly in childbirth; and children will
suffer and die from preventable diseases. Hunger remains a global challenge, and ensuring that all children are
able to complete primary education remains a fundamental but unfulfilled target that has an impact on all the
other goals. Lack of safe sanitation is hampering progress in health and nutrition; biodiversity loss continues
apace; and greenhouse gas emissions continue to pose a major threat to people and ecosystem. The goal of
gender equality also remains unfulfilled, again with broad negative consequences given that achieving the
MDGs depends so much on women’s empowerment and equal access by women to education, work, health
care and decision-making. He stressed that we must recognize the unevenness of progress within countries
and regions, and the severe inequalities that exist among populations, especially between rural and urban
areas.
In the case of Pakistan, most of the MDG targets seem unachievable by 2015. Poverty reduced between 2002
and 2006 but it started to rise again. Targets for MTDF were not achieved so this indicator is unlikely to be
achieved. Similarly, access to primary education, gender equality and improved maternal health are less likely
to be achieved. Pakistan has made progress on some indicators of reducing child mortality but the overall
target seems to be unachievable. On the other hand, Pakistan has done well to combat HIV/AID, Malaria and
other diseases and the targets of few indicators have already been met. Similarly, Pakistan has already met the
targets of ensuring environmental sustainability and global partnerships for development.
Country report of Pakistan was jointly presented by Dr. Arshad Mahmood Uppal, Dr. Aurang Zeb, Ms.
Nargis Bano, and Ms. Bushra Sadiq. It was informed that according to the Pakistan Millennium
Development Goals Report (2010) produced by Planning Commission, Government of Pakistan, the targets
for the Medium Term Development (MTDF) 2009-10 have not been met in the three indicators for Goal 1, and
i required to help in coming close to achieving the MDG 2015 targets.
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