Inter-lInkages between PoPulatIon DynamIcs anD DeveloPment In ...

Other initiatives/efforts planned include:• Creating a more enabling environment to encourage NGOs and the private sector to provide opportunitiesfor the poor to improve their livelihood;• Encourage financial institution to provide innovative and pro-poor financing facilities;• Improve system of targeting beneficiaries and minimising leakages;• Update and integrate the urban and rural hardcore poor registry to ensure all poverty eradication programmesreach the target groups;• Develop a comprehensive registry of the urban poor and low income households in urban centres to assistformulation of target-specific programmes;• Encourage participation of the target groups and communities in project identification and implementation;• Streamline poverty eradication initiatives by the public sector, NGOs and the private sector; and• Enhance coordination and monitoring at all levels, including setting deliverable targets for all implementingparties to ensure greater impact and sustainability of the programmes.2. Women’s EmpowermentMalaysia has fared well in gender equality. Key sectors that contribute to this are health, education andlabour force as well as laws/rights. Improvements in health, especially IMR and MMR, and increasing proportionof women who are educated up to secondary and tertiary levels have resulted in more women participating inthe labour force. This led to the decrease in TFR among all ethnic groups, which was not planned, and havecontributed to a more sustainable development.To further improve the health status and well-being of women, the priorities in the Ninth Plan are to:• Formulate policies and strategies to integrate RH components into the PHC system;• Implement programmes to increase health awareness and promote prevention, screening and earlyintervention for diseases such as cancer;• Provide mobile clinics under the Nur Sejahtera Programme to increase accessibility to health care services;• Increase awareness and educate young women on HIV/AIDS;• Provide treatment, care and support for women who are HIV positive; and• Implement ARH programmes. This will be carried out by the Government and NGOs to instil positivevalues, responsible behaviour and promote healthy lifestyle.Malaysia achieved its MDGs on gender equality and elimination of disparities in primary and secondaryeducation by 2005, which contributed to social and economic advancement of women. Gender-based barriersto education is not an issue in Malaysia as there is equal access to education opportunities for girls andavailability of affordable education. In fact, the girls’ enrolment rates are at par or higher than boys forprimary, secondary and tertiary levels education. Recognising that women are potential knowledge workers,efforts are made to: (i) encourage more female students to enter fields of study such as science and engineering,vocational and technical subjects; (ii) career guidance programmes for the former; and (iii) provide trainingopportunities in community college and skills training institutions for female school drop-outs.To ensure women’s effective participation in the marketplace, the Ninth Plan seeks to:• Provide training and retraining opportunities so that women could acquire new and advanced skills thatare relevant to industry needs;• Facilitate re-entry of women into the labour force;• Provide entrepreneurs training programmes. This is carried out by Yayasan Tekun Nasional through MajlisAmanah Rakyat (MARA);• Provide formal and non-formal training programmes in computer literacy and applications, especially forwomen in rural areas;• Provide loans for women entrepreneurs through Bank Simpanan Nasional and Bank Pertanian Micro-Credit Schemes, Special Assistance Scheme for Women Entrepreneurs (Information technology relatedservices, Research and Development);• Encourage women entrepreneurs to network with other successful organisations, both locally and abroad;• Provide opportunities for women to be involved in agro-based industries and businesses;• Implement home office concept to facilitate the involvement of women in business activities;30