Training Report: Millennium Development Goals in the SAARC Region

Introduction
Introduction
The world leaders joined together in September 2000 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York,
U.S.A. to adopt Millennium Declaration translated into the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The
MDGs were set to be achieved by 2015, using 1990 as the reference year. These are time bound goals with
quantifiable targets. These goals promote basic human rights and focus the world community's attention on
achieving significant and measurable improvements in people's lives. The specific objectives of the MDGs
are to: reduce extreme poverty and hunger; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality and
empower women; reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other
diseases; ensure environmental sustainability; and, promote global partnership for development. These goals
are further split into 21 targets, measurable via 60 indicators. The first seven goals are mutually reinforcing
and are related to reducing poverty in all its forms. The last goal - global partnerships for development - is
about the means to achieve first seven goals in resources deficit countries. The world would need to make its
contribution in realizing the commitment on the MDGs made by them. Without such a commitment, majority
of the resources deficit countries, including South Asia may fail to improve their social indicators as per the
MDGs' requirements. Achieving the MDGs requires integration of the MDGs into national and sub-national
policy and legal framework as well as in budget priority.
With only three years remaining, countries are beginning to take a serious look at their ability to meet the
targets of the MDGs adopted in 2000. Further, they have also started critical evaluation of present progress
towards attainment of the MDGs. Different policies and strategies in the SAARC region reflect the efforts of
the member states in line with achievement of the MDGs. For example, the Government of Bangladesh has
developed a policy document that outlines a number of policy measures for achieving the MDGs. Similarly,
various education campaigns and initiatives in India contribute towards enhancing the educational standards
in the country. Nepal has some success stories on Gender Equality and Pakistan contains some of the best
models of Environmental Sustainability where most of its targets related to environment are "on track".
Despite the progress made in different areas of the region and impressive gains by the SAARC Member States
in achieving high economic growth and poverty reduction over the last two decades, 39 % of the world's poor
live in the region and the region has the highest incidence of poverty (43 % of its population) . Further, in spite
of substantial progress toward improving education and health indicators, the region is still seriously "off
track" in some of the MDGs targets. Thus success in achieving the MDGs depends, to a large extent, on this
region's performance in the next three years. There is no doubt that each SAARC Member State has
formulated policies, strategies and programs in line with the MDGs but the region's performance is mixed in
achieving different targets. There are several factors/constraints that affect tracking the MDGs in the region.
SAARC Member States have adopted policy of human resource development as a priority area in line with the
MDGs to improve standard of living of the people. The countries' development strategy envisages massive
investment in strengthening its human resource base to produce a skilled and competent workforce that can
respond to the increasing demands of a steadily growing economy, resulting economic growth and poverty
reduction. However, experience of some of the South Asian countries suggests that implementation of the
MDGs has been influenced by knowledge gap, low skills and low growth due to different external and
internal shocks. Further, institutional capacities to develop marketable skills through education and
vocational training are weak and exposure to new technologies is severely limited.
The low levels of productivity and limited resources usually result in decline in public and private investment
which inhibits the timely achievement of certain the MDGs. There are also cultural and socioeconomic
barriers for the MDGs in the SAARC region that fully or partially affect the initiatives. One of the major
constraints in the achievement of the MDGs in the region is unavailability of relevant data. Most of the cases
are underreported and misclassified due to lack of research and information. The unavailability of authentic
and reliable information impedes formulation and implementation of targeted policies and actions. It is,
therefore, important that SAARC countries should make concerted efforts to design, coordinate and
implement policies and programs to achieve the full range of the MDGs to overcome the problem/constraints.
In the situation of present progress towards achieving the MDGs, and with the 2015 deadline approaching,
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