Editorial
MDG goals within reach
Good news, redoubled efforts needed
ALTHOUGH Bangladesh has achieved most of the targets set for 2015, there exists some contention whether the country will be able to meet all the goals within the timeframe. According to a recent government report, the country has met nine out of eleven MDG targets two years ahead of schedule. This is very good news indeed. Where the country has been lagging is in the area of primary education and environmental sustainability. Bangladesh has displayed remarkable progress in the areas of improving maternal mortality ratio, reducing child mortality, ensuring universal primary education and reducing poverty.
Areas that require greater attention are eradicating extreme poverty and generating employment, increasing proportion of children finishing primary schooling and broadening adult education. Also creating greater scope for women employment in the economy, making available reliable data on HIV-AIDS; increasing forest coverage and expanding base for information and communication technology in the economy are goals to be attained. The adverse effects of climate-induced changes are a global phenomenon and it threatens to wipe out many hard-earned gains Bangladesh has achieved. Reducing carbon emissions by developed nations would go a long way to tackle this issue.
Though Bangladesh has earned 'star performer' status, there are issues that need to be addressed, particularly in terms of failure of development partners to meet financial commitments. Were developed nations to commit 0.7 per cent of their Gross National Income as per pledge in 2000 when the MDG were designed, countries like Bangladesh would be in a much better position to tackle the remaining goals.
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