The Millennium Development Goals – A Decade of Achievements

and Challenges at the Regional Level

Bader Omar AlDafaUnder-Secretary-General, Executive Secretary UNESCWA

Global context• Compound crises lead to

significant setbacks on overall economic performance

Regional characteristics• disparate levels of

development comparing high-income GCC countries and LDCs

• political tensions and smoldering conflict

• high proportion of youth

Slide 2

The Arab Region has undertaken significant efforts towards achieving the MDGs, but progress is uneven.

Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger (MDG 1)

Slide 3

Achieve universal primary education (MDG 2)

Slide 4

Enrolment ratio in primary education (latest available data, percentage)

Promote gender equality and empower women (MDG 3)

Slide 5

Seats held by women in national parliaments (latest data, percentage)

Reduce child mortality (MDG 4)

Slide 6

Improving maternal health (MDG 5)

Combat HIV/Aids, Malaria and other diseases (MDG 6)

Slide 8

In the 1990s the tuberculosis incidence in Arab LDCs was about nine times higher than in other subregions.

Despite an overall decline, this gap widened to a 13 times higher tuberculosis incidence rate in the late 2000s.

Ensure environmental sustainability (MDG 7)

Slide 9

Global partnership for development (MDG 8)

Slide 10

The way forward….

… renewed commitment to the attainment of the MDGs by 2015 and delivering better results of global,

regional and national partnerships for development

• Consideration of the MDGs as a holistic framework instead of treating each development goal independently: Its elements are linked in a systemic manner and therefore integrative policy response should be designed

• Pursuing equity-focused approaches more strongly (i.e. equal access and chances, concern for most vulnerable groups) will accelerate progress towards the attainment of the MDGs and be more cost-effective

• Accelerating of development and implementation of legislation on equal rights and equal opportunities in all areas (i.e. economic participation, social protection)

• Mainstreaming the MDGs into national policies (i.e. national poverty reduction strategies)

• Dedication of resources (i.e. honoring the agreed ODA commitments)

Data source:ESCWA (2010): Charting the progress of the MDGs in the Arab Region - A Statistical Portrait

Thank you!