A holistic strategy required to achieve MDGs

Anita Inder SINGH

POVERTY REDUCTION: While it is feasible for the first UN Millennium Development Goal (MDG)-eradicate extreme poverty and hunger by 2015- to be achieved in South Asia, poverty reduction is intertwined with other MDGs, whose attainment remains uncertain.

Inequalities in gender and education, low levels of sustainable access to safe drinking water and decent sanitation, and high child mortality rates for the under-fives are all manifestations of poverty. In fact, South Asia falls below the average on many counts for developing countries.

Extreme poverty in the region fell from 41 per cent in 1990 to 29 per cent in 2004; however, that figure is still higher than the 19 per cent average for developing countries.

India’s one billion people and its growth rates, averaging eight per cent over the last few years, largely account for statistics showing a reduction in extreme poverty in South Asia.

There is a good chance that India will achieve the first MDG target of halving the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day by 2015. Nepal has the lowest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the region at $1,490, and Sri Lanka has the highest at $4,390.

But while fewer people live in extreme poverty compared to the 1990s, inequality increased between urban and rural areas and among regions within all countries. Although child hunger has declined, out of 1,000 children, 82 are likely to die before the age of five.

Educational disparity and gender inequality are other manifestations as well as causes of poverty. While illiteracy has been reduced, its total eradication remains a steep climb-except in Sri Lanka.

Currently, about 90 per cent of children in South Asia go to primary school, in contrast to 74 per cent in 1990.

The percentage of schoolchildren under five rose from 44 per cent in 1990 to 56 per cent in 2000 in Bangladesh, 88 per cent in India, 70 per cent in Pakistan, 67 per cent in Nepal and 91 per cent in Bhutan.

Throughout the region, school improvements, ranging from absentee teachers to school buildings, are needed to improve the quality of education.

Five years of primary school education is better than none, but is not enough to prevent child labour-in itself a reflection of extreme poverty and a barrier to high school education and better opportunities in life.

The promotion of gender equality is a vital component of poverty reduction programmes in the entire region. About 82 per cent of South Asian women are employed in agriculture, in contrast to the world average of 39 per cent, with 49 per cent working in rural areas in Sri Lanka, 73 per cent in Pakistan and 71 per cent in Bangladesh.

In Sri Lanka, female adult literacy is at 89 per cent, compared to 47.8 per cent in India, 36 per cent in Pakistan and 34.9 per cent in Nepal. Female adult schooling and many of the MDG indicators are linked.

Female schooling at post-primary level is strongly associated with poverty reduction and fewer malnourished children.

Therefore, better educational and health facilities for women would mean more educated families with greater chances for an improved standard of living. Poverty also means poor health services.

With only 38 per cent of women having access to skilled healthcare personnel, South Asia has the highest maternal mortality rate, compared to the average rate of 57 per cent in developing countries.

After sub-Saharan Africa, the region has the second highest mortality rate of children under five, at 82 per 1,000-an improvement from the 126 deaths per 1,000 in 1990.

Only 38 per cent of the population in South Asia has access to improved sanitation, a figure that has almost doubled since 1990, but which is still below the 50 per cent average in developing regions.

The problem of poor sanitation has to be tackled to decrease the rate of child mortality. Poverty reduction strategies should include environmental sustainability and an increased role for women in promoting sustainable development at the local, regional and national levels of government. Infrastructure improvements, as well as the provision of more electricity, are essential.

In Sri Lanka, for example, poverty and child malnutrition are prevalent in areas where access to electricity is lacking.

There is evidence of progress. In Nepal, farm wages rose after improving productivity and tightening the labour market, and agricultural wages increased by about 25 per cent in real terms over ten years.

Higher demand, coupled with improved connectivity and better access to markets, stimulated entrepreneurial activities and allowed for non-agricultural wages and incomes to rise. Increased urbanisation moved workers from low productivity jobs in rural areas to higher productivity jobs in urban areas.

Attempts are being made to ensure the sustainability of poverty reduction programmes by rooting them within local institutions. International agencies are encouraging partnerships among local government institutions, women’s groups, civil society organisations and government agencies.

Developing gender-equitable and community-managed approaches to sustainable livelihoods and environmentally sustainable natural resource management, including energy management and the provision of basic services, are essential for poverty reduction.

Issues, such as women’s rights to land and their role in the management of common property resources are being investigated in India.

MDG programmes need to be evaluated and monitored, and more data should be collected to formulate good strategies for poverty reduction. The information could tell us more about disparities in the development of women, social groups, regions and education. Moreover, South Asian countries could share experiences about poverty reduction.

Governance is about the implementation of policies. Democratic governance-implying good contact between citizens and Government. Decentralisation, accountability and transparency, including anti-corruption strategies and the promotion of a culture of service delivery, need to be strengthened in South Asia.

The capacity of local governments should be built up to improve service delivery and achieve the MDGs. New information technologies could facilitate access to information and in enabling E-governance.

Efficient governance is essential to promote industry growth, which positively influences gender, social and regional disparities, accelerates the pace of poverty reduction, and sustains human development and human security.

The writer is currently Visiting Professor at the Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution in New Delhi, India, where she specialises in development and security. Her publications include Democracy, Ethnic Diversity and Security in Postcommunist Europe