About MDG’s:
Millennium Development goals (MDG’s) consisting of a set of targets that are supposed to be achieved by the year 2015 were launched at the Millennium Summit in New York in September, 2000. Since then a broad international agreement has emerged that they are a useful yardstick for efforts by Governments, Donors and NGO’s to promote development. The MDG’s include eight specific goals and other eighteen average goals having forty indexes by which the dimension of development is measured. The mandatory goals of MDG’s are:
01) Halving extreme poverty and hunger
02) Achieving universal primary education
03) Gender equality and women empowerment
04) Reducing infant and child mortality by two thirds and
05) Reducing maternal mortality by three quarters
06) Controlling HIV/AIDS and Malaria and other dreadful diseases
07) Reduction of Environmental pollution and access to safe drinking water by fifty percent
08) Partnering for worldwide relationship to continue sustainable development.
These goals were taken to make the world better and maintain a minimum standard of living over the world. Since the underdeveloped countries face all these problems, so the goals were created Least Developing Countries (LDC) oriented. It was always a most talked issue that how the necessary amount of money will be achieved for developing these sectors and in this perspective developed world was pledged to provide financial assistance for the developing countries.
MDG’s in Bangladesh:
Since Bangladesh is a marginal economic country and facing all the goal focused problems, from the year 2000 when the announcement of the proclamation of the goals driven strategies were taken country wide, various financial assistance came to Bangladesh in the form of aid which still now (2011) coming. But there aren’t mentionable achievement regarding reaching to the goals. To some extent it has been proven that some sectors are till untouched, some improves as the rate of 1990’s and some sectors are proved through papers not in reality whereas documents regarding development don’t match among Bangladesh govt. and World Bank or UNDP.
From the report of the Bangladesh Govt. among the 49 indexes 20 indexes don’t have any improvement, 10 indexes haven’t any information to the govt. and the other 19 indices haven’t satisfied improvement.
Slow race of poverty reduction and increasing rate of unemployment:
When MDG’s approved poverty rate was 56% and after passing 10 years, now it reached to 29% in govt. report but truly it is now 38% and among them 25% are is in abject situation that lives in slums, hilly or coastal areas. It is right that here poverty rate is decreasing day by day but the rate is only evident in the papers that are written in black inks but how dismal condition the people of our country passing that can only be seen if anyone walks through the roads of the cities and beside the slums or in the coastal areas. The poverty rate is now 38% from the report of the World Bank which defined poverty as earning less than $1 or 69 TK on a day, but in reality normally a dollar can’t support a man to run his life in the context of present inflation and now guess who earn less than a dollar what is there situation! In recent years peoples’ income rises but inflation rate rises higher than their income. The total economy has been broadened but a particular people hold most of that assets.
Unemployment rate is increasing and now 24.4 million people are unemployed who represents 13% of the total population. This rate has become greater than the rate of the MDG’s approval year.
Increasing rate of Fallout and Physically disabled are still apart from primary education:
Now-a-days many more children are entering in the schools but their drop out from the primary level is now 35%and in every year the rate increases. Now in Bangladesh 5% are physically challenged and they are totally far away from education, from them only 11% are getting education. Bangladesh is totally ignoring the education of the disables. Though in last 10 years a number of initiatives were taken to promote child education that was especially for female children, physically disables weren’t encouraged much. Most alarming is the drop out level is growing and here follow up incentives are weak and the standard of education is diverse as because education through the country is asymmetric.
When we are talking about primary education higher middle level or higher level is becoming worst as clashes in colleges and universities among the political parties are seen commonly which is a unique thing over the world.
Slight changes in mentality regarding Gender equality and Women empowerment:
It can be said that regarding female education and gender equality the ancient Muslim community is changing their age-old conceptions. Now more female are entering in different professions and now parents send their female children to educational institutions for going higher. Now more women are entering in different professions like as Army, Police and administration. This phenomenon is evident in our society but if it is compared to the total population segment anyone can guess how worst the situation is! And the level is below the MDG’ expected rate. In essence, among the physically challenged women only 3.21% are engaged in different earning jobs and others are unsupported.
Mentionable change in infant and child mortality rates:
Among the MDG’s mentionable change occurred in the infant mortality rate and Bangladesh recently achieved an award from a non-profit organization called MDG Award but in Bangladesh the news was published as the award from UN. However, now child mortality rate is 6.7% and in 1990 it was 14.6%, this rate is an satisfactory level. But a important thing was ignored in this regard- in different districts mostly in Jamalpur, Kurighram , Banderban the rate is in worst level. Here regional differences aren’t evident. In this index, vaccination campaigns are not reaching to the abject people of slums and in that place child mortality rate is higher.
Scenario of Maternal Mortality rate:
Maternal mortality rate in Bangladesh is very high which is comparatively higher than any other countries in Asia and the rate is not in the expected level according to the yardsticks of the MDG’s. The goal was to lessen the rate to three quarters. But, now 85% births are taking in home by unskilled physicians and the maternal mortality rate doesn’t lessen to the expected rate. Town level govt. hospitals lack of 40% physicians and in rural level the rate is 74%, this lacking rate can make you understand the position of this goal.
Negligence on HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other dreadful diseases’ treatment:
However, people are suffering from many diseases; there are some new diseases which are increasing the number of sufferers list. Bangladesh has become one of the most vulnerable countries in HIV/AIDS as the neighboring country is threatened by HIV/AIDS. Govt. doesn’t have any information regarding AIDS sufferers. Till now govt. couldn’t initiate any action to create new dimension in researching on HIV sufferers. At the other hand, in the slums and rural areas malaria is still an influential disease. Govt. support is insufficient to this extent as people don’t get any support from anywhere. In this field reaching to goal is only dream.
Worsening Environmental pollution and less access to safe drinking water:
Bangladesh is most vulnerable country for climate change- forest lands are being cut down and rivers are polluting in the increasing rate and that’s why now rivers water is not helpful in using farming activities. It is creating pressure on earth water, in summer water crisis is felt in its eventual level. In the other hand every people aren’t getting safe water over the country, moreover arsenic is familiar in northern part of the country. Projects from UNDP somewhat changes its impact but in case of other necessity like as industry or family uses required pure and safe water is going to be unfound. Development activities aren’t becoming parallel in villages and town whereas villages are still underdeveloped by hospitals, roads, and educational institution.
Widening distances among social classes and lacking of lower-upper partnership:
As time goes deviation among the social classes is broadening and the discrimination on lower class people is increasing. Now in Bangladesh 5% people posses 37.64% of the total assets of the country and about 48% poor people posses 9.36% assets of the country. Lower-upper partnership still couldn’t be initiated by government. Though some NGO’s like as Grameen Bank, BRAC succeeded to some extent, they reached to a smaller portion of the country.
Debates on MDG’s:
There are some interesting debates over MDG’s. MDG’s concepts had been arisen from the developing world and they pledged to distribute 0.70% of their total GDP for the prosperity of the destitute people. But, most of the countries broken their pledges, rather they encouraged loans for the poor countries. These countries’ are normally poor and getting loan means they are only raising their debt. This matter is lagging behind these countries and creating undue distances among the countries of the globe. UNDP, WB, DFID, ADB, USAID all these organizations provide loans to these countries and for developing activities required logistics are provided by the organizations-orient countries and eventually they get back their money by a so called development process, in real what is their business. In last 10 years Bangladesh govt. received $1.54 US dollar as loan and grant. Because of receiving much more foreign loan per capita foreign debt has become $159 dollar.
Postscript:
Among the MDG’s Bangladesh is going to achieve only one goal but other goals won’t be attained which mean eventually we can’t reach to the goals. Experts said that the MDG Award was given to lessen criticism of MDG’s. From the last 10 years experience it can be said that Political Governments of Bangladesh didn’t worked mutually and their aspiration wasn’t Goal oriented and didn’t speeded up as requirement- it is the main reason of not reaching to the MDG’s.
[This article was prepared on January, 2011]
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