No developing nation will attain the Millennium Development Goals on reduction of child mortality, a World Bank Global Monitoring report (GMR) 2012 has revealed.
The report , released at the ongoing Spring Meeting of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund? (IMF), noted that progress was slowest on the maternal mortality goal? five.
“The world is significantly off-track on the MDGs to reduce mortality rates of children under five and mothers. As a result, these goals will not be met in any developing region by 2015.
“Progress is slowest on maternal mortality, with only one-third of the targeted reduction achieved thus far.
“Progress on reducing infant and child mortality is similarly dismal, with only 50 per cent of the targeted decline achieved.
The report also said that the developing world's? progress was seriously lagging on global targets related to food and nutrition.
This, it attributed to high rate of child and maternal mortality, adding that recent spikes in international food prices had stalled progress across several MDGs.
“Food prices, nutrition and MDGs report good progress across some MDGs, with targets related to reducing extreme poverty and providing access to safe drinking water already achieved, several years ahead of the 2015 deadline.
“Also, targets on education and ratio of girls to boys in schools are within reach.’’
Suggesting ways forward, the report noted that many countries and communities must deploy agricultural policies to encourage farmers to increase production.
“Use of social safety nets to improve resilience, strengthen nutritional policies to improve early childhood development and design trade policies that enhance access to food? market, reduce food price volatility and induce productivity gains.
Commenting on the situation, Mr Justin Yifu Lin, the World Bank's Chief Economist, said that dealing with food price volatility must be a high priority.
“High and volatile food prices do not augur well for attainment of many MDGs, as they erode consumer purchasing power and prevent millions of people from escaping poverty and hunger, besides having long term adverse impacts on health and education.
“Dealing with food price volatility must be a high priority, especially as nutrition has been one of the forgotten MDGs.''
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in September 2000, building upon a decade of major UN conferences and summits, world leaders came together at UN Headquarters in New York,? to adopt the UN Millennium Declaration.
?They committed their nations to a new global partnership to reduce extreme poverty and setting out a series of time-bound targets – with a deadline of 2015 – that have become known as the Millennium Development Goals.
The eight millennium development goals, range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV and AIDS, and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015.?