Japan's Official Development Assistance White Paper 2010
Part I Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Japan's Efforts
Chapter 1 Status of Achievement of MDGs
Over the last decade since 2000, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have assumed the role of a compass in development practice globally. Although the international community has made some strides towards the achievement of the MDGs, it is called upon to make further efforts for the achievement of all the goals by all countries and regions by 2015.
Every year since 2005, the United Nations (UN) compiles an annual report on the status of progress towards the achievement of the MDGs. According to the report issued in June 2010, the progress is uneven and varies by area and region.
In some areas the relevant targets will be met by 2015. For example, the developing world as a whole is on track to achieve the target of halving extreme poverty. The underlying driver is the largely robust economic growth of developing regions. In particular, China and India, which accounted for approximately 60% of the world's poor as of 1990, have shown remarkable development. The world will also achieve the target of halving the proportion of the population without access to safe drinking water, mainly as a result of the expanded access to improved sources of drinking water in rural areas.
Although such progress has been made, it will be difficult to achieve the targets of some areas by 2015. Progress has been the slowest in the area of health, which accounts for three of the eight MDGs. The under-five mortality rate, the reduction of which is a target of goal 4 of the MDGs “Reduce child mortality”, has dropped by 28% from 100 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 72 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2008. Despite this achievement, developing regions are far from meeting the target to reduce the under-five mortality rate to one-third the 1990 level by 2015. Regarding the maternal mortality ratio, whose reduction is one of the targets of goal 5 “Improve maternal health”, latest data estimate that the ratio declined by 34% from 400 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 260 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2008 (Note 1). Although there has been progress to some extent, further efforts are needed to meet the target to reduce the maternal mortality ratio to one-fourth the 1990 level by 2015. Regarding goal 6 “Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases”, while efforts of the international community have been relatively fruitful, the situation still requires a continuation and expansion of assistance. Also in the area of sanitation, which is largely connected to health, the proportion of the population with access to improved sanitation facilities has hardly increased.
In the area of education, even as the enrollment ratio is improving in the poorest countries, 72 million children are still out of school. Furthermore, regarding the original target to eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education by 2005, while the disparity continues to narrow, the target has not been met as of 2010.
By region, East Asia has made relatively steady advances towards the achievement of the MDGs, whereas sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia as a whole are falling short. Disparities are also found within the same region and country.
Progress towards the achievement of the MDGs is affected not only by the policies of the developing countries themselves and the assistance of the international community, but also largely influenced by world economic trends. Food supply and employment in developing countries suffered significant setbacks due to the 2007– 2008 rising food and energy prices and the global financial and economic crises which began in 2008. Various changes associated with climate change as well as emergency situations such as natural disasters are also factors which slow down the progress towards meeting the MDGs.
Chart I-1 Progress Chart of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
(from UN MDGs 2010 Progress Chart and other sources)
Notes:
(1) Source: World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and The World Bank, Trends in Maternal Mortality: 1990 to 2008 (September 2010).