Social, Millennium Development Goals: New report acknowledges improving maternal health as one of region’s greatest challenges

Maternal deaths in Asia and the Pacific account for almost half of the global total. The region’s overall maternal mortality ratio, at over 300 per 100,000 live births, is more than 30 per cent higher than that of Latin America and the Caribbean.
These are some of the findings of the newly released report entitled “Millennium Development Goals: Progress in Asia and the Pacific 2007”, which identifies child mortality, malnutrition, improving maternal health and providing safe drinking water and sanitation facilities as some of the region’s greatest challenges.
Launched simultaneously in Bangkok and Manila, the report is a joint publication by ESCAP, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
According to the report, Asia and the Pacific, “one of the most dynamic regions in the world, is forging ahead on many of the MDGs”. But progress is uneven between and within countries, with many countries falling behind Sub-Saharan Africa or Latin America in certain areas.
“The 2007 MDG progress report gives us an indication of what the region stands to gain if we intensify our efforts to meet the MDGs. We need to focus on those countries that are moving slowly or not making progress, and within those areas, concentrate on improving the lives of the most vulnerable”, said Haishan Fu, Chief, Statistics Development Section, ESCAP, cited in a press release issued on 8 October.
Besides providing an assessment of whether countries in the region are on or off track for the various indicators, the report examines disparities existing within countries, recognizing a striking rise in income inequality. The report points out that the region has been setting the pace of the developing world, particularly in economic growth, but that is has now the opportunity to focus again on equity, and extend the benefits of rapid economic and social development to all the people.
Note: The report can be accessed online at www.unescap.org/stat/mdg/.