Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

Developement Theories and

PA-

AssignmentMillennium Development Goals (MDGs)

Submitted to:

Rezaul KorimAssistant ProfessorDepartment of PublicAdministrationComilla University

Submitted by:

Mahi UddinRoll No: 01103038 Reg No:60062Session: 2011-2012Department of Public AdministrationComilla UniversityComilla

UniversityDate of Submission:

INDEXSL NO: Topics

1.Introduction

2.What is it?

3.MDG at a Glance

4.MDGs, Challenges for Bangladesh

4.1. MDG 1: Eradicating Poverty and Hunger

4.2. To achieve universal primary education

4.3. To promote gender equality and

empowering women

4.4. To reduce child mortality rates

4.5. To improve maternal health

Comilla University

4.6. To combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other

diseases

4.7. To ensure environmental sustainability

4.8. To develop a global partnership for

development

5.Challenges

5.1. Successes

6.Millennium Development Goal (MDG) and Award

Achievement of Bangladesh:

7.Conclusion

8.Reference:

Millennium Development Goals ( MDGs)

1. Introduction:

“Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are likea ship that has set sail with no destination.”

-Fitzhugh DodsonThe Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) represents aglobal commitment to tackle poverty, hunger, disease,

education, inequality and environmental degradation. Itis set forth in the UN Millennium Declaration 2000, area set of quantified and time-bound goals to reduceextreme poverty, disease, and deprivation of the world’spoorest people. Since their launch in 2000 the MDGs havebeen a useful tool for international development and toreach the targets by 2015.

2. What is it?

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is a set ofdevelopment activities agreed upon a series of goalshave been adopted by the United Nations, to achieve sometargeted progress in poverty, education, health, genderequality, sustainable environment and strengtheninginter country co-ordination etc.MDG is a set of – -8 major goals -21 targets

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eightinternational development goals that were establishedfollowing the Millennium Summit of the United Nationsin 2000, following the adoption of the United NationsMillennium Declaration. All 189 United Nations memberstates at the time (there are 193 currently) and atleast 23 international organizations committed to helpachieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, thegoals follow:

1.To eradicate extreme poverty and hunger2.To achieve universal primary education3.To promote gender equality and empowering women

4.To reduce child mortality rates5.To improve maternal health6.To combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases7.To ensure environmental sustainability8.To develop a global partnership for development

In 2000, United Nations signed the United NationsMillennium Declaration, which includes eight MillenniumDevelopment Goals to be achieved by 2015 or 2020. Thisrepresented the first time that a holistic strategy tomeet the development needs of the world has beenestablished, with measurable targets and definedindicators. Because the MDGs were agreed as globaltargets to be achieved by the global community, they areindependent of, but by no means unrelated to, individualnational interests. The goals imply that every state hasa set of obligations to the world community to meet andthat other state, which have achieved those goals, havean obligation to help those who have not. As such theymay represent an extension of the concept of humanrights. The first seven Millennium Development Goalspresent measurable goals, while the eighth lists anumber of 'stepping stone' goals – ways in whichprogress towards the first seven goals could be made.Each goal uses indicators based on statistical seriescollected and maintained by respected organizations ineach relevant field (usually the UN agency responsiblebut also the OECD, IMF and World Bank)

3. MDG at a Glance:

Goal Target1.EradicateExtreme

Target 1. Halve, between 1990 and 2015, theproportion of people whose income is less

Poverty andHunger

than one dollar a day

Target 2. Halve, between 1990 and 2015, theproportion of people who suffer from Hunger

Target 3. Achieve full and productiveemployment and decent work for all includingwoman and young people

2.AchieveUniversalPrimaryEducation

Target 4. Ensure that, by 2015, childreneverywhere, boys and girls alike, will beable to complete a full course of primaryschooling

3.PromoteGenderEquality andEmpowerWomen

Target 5. Eliminate gender disparity inprimary and secondary education, preferablyby 2005, and to all levels of education nolater than 2015

4.ReduceChildMortality

Target 6. Reduce by two thirds, between 1990and 2015, the under-five mortality rate

5.ImproveMaternalHealth

Target 7. Reduce by three quarters, between1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio

Target 8. Achieve universal access toreproductive health

6.CombatHIV/AIDS,Malaria andotherDiseases

Target 9. Have halted by 2015 and begun toreverse the spread of HIV/AIDS

Target 10. Achieve, by 2010, universal accessto treatment for HIV/AIDS for all those whoneed it

Target 11. Have halted by 2015 and begun toreverse the incidence of malaria and other

major diseases7.EnsureEnvironmentalSustainability

Target 12. Integrate the principles ofsustainable development into country policiesand programmers and reverse the loss ofenvironmental resources

Target 13. Reduce biodiversity loss,achieving, by 2010, a significant reductionin the rate of loss

Target 14.Halve by 2015 the proportion ofpeople without sustainable access to safedrinking water and basic sanitation

Target 15. By 2020 to have achieved asignificant improvement in the lives of atleast 100 million slum dwellers

8.Develop aGlobalPartnershipforDevelopment

Target 16. Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatorytrading and financial system

Target 17. Address the special needs of theleast developed countries,

Target 18. Address the special needs oflandlocked countries and small islanddeveloping states

Target 19. Deal comprehensively with the debtproblems of developing countries throughnational and international measures in orderto make debt sustainable in the long term

Target 20. In cooperation with developingcountries, develop and implement strategies

for decent and productive work for youth

Target 21. In cooperation with the privatesector, make available the benefits of newtechnologies, especially information andcommunications

4. MDGs, Challenges for Bangladesh: Twelve years have passed since the United Nationsadopted the Millennium Declaration. Bangladesh receivedthe UN award for its remarkable achievements inattaining the Millennium Development Goals, particularlyin reducing child mortality.4.1. MDG 1: Eradicating Poverty and Hunger

Bangladesh has made reasonably good progress in itseffort at reducing poverty. But we have made slowprogress. Following figure shows the situation-

Baseyear1990-95

2000-02

Current

2005-10

Target2015

Status

Goal 1: Eradicate ExtremePoverty and Hunger

Goal will probably bemet

Target 1.A: Halve by 2015 the proportion of peopleliving below the poverty line

Poverty headcount ratio(2010)

59 50 31.5 29 OnTrack

Poverty Gap Ratio(2010)

17 13 6.5 8 Goalmet

Target 1.B: Achieve full and productive employment and

decent work for all, including woman and young people

Target 1.C: Halve by 2015 the proportion of people whosuffer from hunger

Prevalence of childmalnutrition (percentof children under 5)

68 51 45 33 OffTrack

Population belowminimum level ofdietary energyconsumption(percent)

28 … 20 14 OnTrack

Source: UNDP 2009, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics HIES 2010 and BangladeshPlanning Commission.

The Government has adopted several intervention measuresto reduce poverty including, Food-for-Work (FFW), TestRelief (TR), Food-for-Education (FFE), Vulnerable GroupDevelopment (VGD), Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) etc..Alongside government, many NGOs, such as the GrameenBank, BRAC, and PROSHIKA, have played an important rolein poverty reduction.

Source: Women who climbed their way out of poverty are nowproudly able to

feed their families and start their own businesses. Photo : undpbangladesh

Bangladesh has made commendable progress in respect oferadication of poverty and hunger. It has sustained aGDP growth rate in excess of six percent in recent yearsthat has played a positive role in eradicating poverty.The robust growth has been accompanied by correspondingimprovements in several social indicators such asincreased life expectancy and lower fertility ratedespite having one of the world’s highest populationdensities.

4.2. MDG 2: Achieving Universal Primary Education

This is a sector where progress has been commendable.

Baseyear1990-95

2000-02

CurrentStatus2005-11

Target2015

Status

Goal 2: Achieve UniversalPrimary Education

Goal will probably be met

Target 2.A: Ensure that all boys and girls complete afull course of primary schooling

Net enrollment ratioin primary education

61.5 8398.7(DPE-2011)

100 OnTrack

Percentage of cohortreaching grade 5(percent)

43 ….79.5(DPE-2011)

100 Needsattention

Adult literacy rate 37.2 3958

(SVRS-2011)

100 Needsattention

Source: UNDP 2009, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics HIES 2010 and BangladeshPlanning Commission.

Significant progress has been made in increasingequitable access in education (NER: 98.7 percent; girls:99.4 percent, boys: 97.2 percent), reduction ofdropouts, improvement in completion of the cycle, andimplementation of a number of quality enhancementmeasures in primary education. Bangladesh has alreadyachieved gender parity in primary and secondaryenrolment. Initiatives have been taken to introduce pre-school education to prepare the children for formalschooling.

Source: Bangladesh has made major strides towards full enrollment in itsprimary education programme.

Photo: undp bangladesh

In order to ensure universal primary education, theParliament enacted the Primary Education (Compulsory)Act 1990, and the compulsory primary education programmewas started in 1993. Some of the programmes such as FFE, VGD and VGF, havereportedly helped increase net primary enrollment rates,but there is no such evidence with respect to theprimary completion rate (World Bank, 2005).

NGOs like BRAC play an important role in promoting basicformal and nonformal primary education Bangladesh. Ithas more than 30,000 schools with about a millionpupils.

4.3. MDG 3: Achieving Gender Equality and Empowerment ofWomen

Bangladesh has made tremendous progress in achieving thefirst target of removing gender disparity in schooling.The female-male ratio of students in primary schools isfollows:

Baseyear1990-

2000-02

Current

2005-

Target

2015Status

95 10

Goal 3: Promote Gender Equalityand Empower Women

Goal will probably be met

Target 3.A: Eliminate gender disparity in primary andsecondary education preferably by 2005 and at all levelsby 2015

Ratio of girls to boysin primary andsecondary education(percent)

77 104 106 100 Achieved

Ratio of girls to boysin tertiary education(percent)

37 32 32 100 Needsattention

Ratio of literatefemales to males(percent of ages 20 -24)

65 77 85 100 Needsattention

Share of women employedin the non-agricultural sector(percent)

19 … 25 50 Needsattention

Source: UNDP 2009, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics HIES 2010 andBangladesh Planning Commission.

Bangladesh has already achieved this goal i.e. genderparity in primary and secondary education at thenational level. This positive development has occurreddue to some specific public interventions focusing ongirl students, such as stipends and exemption of tuitionfees for girls in rural areas, and the stipend scheme

for girls at the secondary level. Bangladesh has madesignificant progress in promoting the objectives ofensuring gender equality and empowerment of women.

Source: Women and girls are more and more empowered, from enrolling inschools to becoming

successful entrepreneurs. Photo: undp bangladeshThough the proportion of seats held by women in thenational Parliament has increased, our target remainsfor it to eventually be 33%. To achieve this goal different programmes have beenadopted at government and non-government levels. Theprogrammes include:— Improvement of food security among poor women— Establishment of Women’s Training Academy— Day Care Programmes for children of working women— Building hostels for working women -Women’s agricultural training institute; women’shandicraft and agriculture training centre4.4 MDG 4: Reducing Child MortalityWe have to consider the target from three differentpositions. They are under five mortality rate, infantmortality rate and proportion of one-year-old childrenimmunized against measles.

Baseyear1990-95

2000-02

Current

2005-10

Target2015

Status

Goal 4: Reduce child mortality Goal will probably bemet

Target 4.A: Reduce by two thirds by 2015 the under 5mortality rate

Under 5 Mortality Rate(per 1000)

146 82 54 50 OnTrack

Infant Mortality Rate(per 1000 live births)

92 56 41 31 OnTrack

Immunization, measles(percent of childrenunder 12 months)

54 69 82 100 OnTrack

Source: UNDP 2009, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics HIES 2010 and BangladeshPlanning Commission.

Source: Communities are now better able to protect mothers and infants: theinfant

Mortality rate is steadily decreasing. Photo: salman saeed/undp Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has already met the target of reducing under-five mortality rate: against the target of achieving 48per 1,000 live births in 2015, it has already achieved44 per 1,000 live births in 2011. The target of reducingthe infant mortality rate is also on track. Thesuccessful programs for immunization, control ofdiarrhoeal diseases and Vitamin A supplementation areconsidered to be the most significant contributors tothe decline in child and infant deaths along withpotential effect of overall economic and socialdevelopment.Yet, Bangladesh is still quite far from achieving thechild mortality-related MDG and will need to strive veryhard to achieve that goal. 4.5 MDG 5: Improving Maternal HealthImproving maternal health is an important MDG. Here,progress is now satisfactory. The target is to reducethe maternal mortality ratio by three-quarters between1990 and 2015.

Baseyear1990-95

2000-02

Current

2005-10

Target

2015Statu

s

Goal 5: Improve Maternal Health Goal will probably bemet

Target 5.A: Reduce by three quarters, by 2015, thematernal mortality ratio

Maternal MortalityRatio (per 100,000 livebirths)

574 400 194 143 OnTrack

Births attended by 5 12 24 50 Needs

skilled health staff(percent of total)

attention

Target 5.B: Achieve universal access to reproductivehealth

Adolescent birthrate(per 1,000 woman)

77118 (BDHS

2011)58 (SVRS2010)

-

Unmet need for familyplanning (%)

21.6(1993-94)

13.5(BDHS2011)

7.6

Contraceptive prevalence rate (%) 39.7

61.2(BDHS 2011)

58.4(SVRS 2011)

72

Antenatal care coverage (at least one visit and at leastfour visits) (%)Antenatal care coverage(at least one visit), (%)

27.5(1993-94)

27.5(1993-94)

100

5b: Antenatal care coverage (at least fourvisits), (%

5.5(1993-94)

25.5(BDHS 2011)

50

Source: UNDP 2009, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics HIES 2010 andBangladesh Planning Commission.

Bangladesh needs to make radical efforts to bring downthe maternal mortality rate to the target level in 2015.According to the first MDG progress Report published in2005, the MMR in 1990 was per 100,000 live births inBangladesh. However, according to Bangladesh MaternalSurvey (BMMS) 2010 (NIPORT 2011), maternal mortalitydeclined from 322 in 2001 to 194 in 2010, a decline of

about 40 percent. The average annual rate of reductionof 3.0 percent required for achieving the MDG in 2015.The BMMS 2001 and 2010 show that the overall mortalityrate among woman in the reproductive age hasconsistently declined during this period. Cancers (21percent), cardio-vascular diseases (16 percent) andmaternal causes (14 percent) are responsible for morethan half of all deaths among Bangladesh woman in thereproductive age.

Figure 1.1 Trend of MMR in Bangladesh,1990-2010

Source: BMMS 2001, 2010.

4.6. MDG 6: Combating HIV/AIDS, Malaria and otherDiseases

This is an area of great concern. Only 15.8% Bangladeshis aged15 to 24 have some knowledge of HIV/Aids. Malaria is also aworry. If that is to be believed then we seem to be on trackthere.

Baseyear

Current

Target Status

1990-95

2005-10

2015

Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malariaand other diseases

Goal will probably bemet

Target 6.A: Have halted by 2015 and begin to reverse thespread of HIV/AIDS

Contraceptive PrevalenceRate (percent of womenages 15-49)

40 60 72 Needsattention

Target 6.B: Have halted by 2015 and begin to reverse theincidence of malaria and other major diseases

Deaths of malaria per100,000 population

1.4 0.4 0.0 Needsattention

Incidence of tuberculosis (100,000 people)

264 225 Halving

Needsattention

Tuberculosis casesdetected under DOTS(percent)

21 74 75 On Track

Target 6.C. Achieve, by 2010, universal access totreatment for HIV/AIDS for all those who need itProportion populationwith advance HIVinfection with access toantiretroviral drugs, %

- 100(NASP 2012)

100 On Track

Source: UNDP 2009, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics HIES 2010 and BangladeshPlanning Commission.

Source: Undp has displayed a network of around 1,000 community health service workers in some of the hardest to reach areas in the country. They have now treated over 1,235,000 patients. Photo: undp bangladesh.

Bangladesh has performed well in halting communicablediseases under this goal. Available data show that theprevalence of HIV/AIDS in Bangladesh currently is lessthan 0.1 percent and thus is still below an epidemiclevel. There was a significant improvement in thereduction of malarial deaths in the country over theyears. Major interventions for malaria controlundertaken include expanding quality diagnosis andeffective treatment of 90 percent of malaria cases;promoting the use of long lasting impregnated nets andinsecticide-treated nets in 100 percent households inthe three hill districts; and intensive information,education and communication campaigns for increasingmass awareness of prevention and control of malaria.Bangladesh has already achieved the MDG targets oftuberculosis case detection and cure rates.The Government of Bangladesh therefore considers healthas a high priority sector. It is also committed to

achieving the MDG of combating HIV/AIDS and other killerdiseases.

4.7. MDG 7: Ensure Environmental SustainabilityEnvironment-related problems in Bangladesh are gettingmore acute day by day, mainly because of various naturaldisasters, including droughts and floods. Indicator Target benchmark current

situationGoal 7: Ensure EnvironmentalSustainability

Goal will probably bemet

Target 7.A. Integrate the principles of sustainabledevelopment into country policies and programmers andreverse the loss of environmental resourcesTarget 7.B. Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, asignificant reduction in the rate of lossProportion of landarea covered byforest, % (tree coverage)

9.0 20.0(density>7

0%)

19.42 (DoF2012)

(density>70%)

CO2 emission, total,per capita and per $1GDP (PPP)

Lack of Data

a: CO2 emissions, metric tons per capita

0.14 0.30(DoE 2007)

-

Consumption of ozone-depleting substancesConsumption of ozone-depleting substances in ODP tonnes

72.6ODP tonnes(HCFC: Hydro chlorofluorocarbon)

CFCs: 48 ODP tonnesHCFCs: 88.42 ODP tonnesTotal: 136.42 ODP

65.39ODP tonnes

(Ozone Cell, DoE)

Proportion of fish stocks within safe biological limits

- 54 inlandand 16marine

-

Proportion of total water resources used

- 6.6%(2000)

-

Proportion of terrestrial and marine areas protected

1.64 Terri:1.83%  andMari: 0.47

(DoF)

5.0

Proportion of speciesthreatened with extinction

- 106(2001)

-

Target 7.C.Halve by 2015 the proportion of people withoutsustainable access to safe drinking water and basicsanitationPopulation usingimproved drinking-water source (%)

100.0(2015)

97.6(2006)

97.8 (MICS2009)

Population usingimproved sanitationfacility (%)

100.0(2015)

39.2(2006)

80.4 (MICS2009)

Target 7.D. By 2020 to have achieved a significantimprovement in the lives of at least 100 million slumdwellersProportion of urbanpopulation living inslums

- - 7.8 (BBS2001)

Source: MICS 2009 (Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey 2009, BBS) Bangladesh is a signatory to the Rio Convention on Bio-diversity (1992), and the Kyoto Protocol that came intoeffect from 17 February 2005. It has also enactedlegislations, such as, Environmental Protection Act,

1995, Wild Life Protection (Amendment) Act 1974, andEnvironmental Court Act 2000.

Source: Dedicated projects have been put in place to protect coastalcommunities and people's access to safe water. Photo: undp bangladeshAt present there is only 19.4 percent of land inBangladesh having tree cover with density of 10 percentand above. Based on the spatial dimension, the areahaving tree cover is much closer to the target (20percent) set by the government but the density is muchless than the target (>70 percent). Since 1991, therehas been a steady increase in CO2 emission inBangladesh. In 2007, the emission was 0.3 tonne percapita. At present the proportion of terrestrial andmarine areas protected is 2.3 percent which is much lessthan the target of 5 percent.Data shows that without considering the issue of arseniccontamination, 98.2 percent of the population ofBangladesh is using improved drinking water source; 63.6percent of population is using improved sanitation in2011. However, access to safe water for all is achallenge, as arsenic and salinity intrusion as aconsequence of climate change fall out will exacerbateavailability of safe water especially for the poor.

4.8. MDG 8: Developing a Global Partnership forDevelopmentIt seems like Bangladesh is not sufficiently active indeveloping global partnerships. We need to be more active here.

Baseyear

1990-952000-02

Current

2005-10

Target

2015Status

Goal 8:Develop a GlobalPartnership for Development

Goal will probably be met

Target 8.A. Develop further an open, rule-based,predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financialsystem

Youth unemploymentrate (percent of totallabor force ages 1524)

3 8.0 13.4 … Needsattention

Target 8.B: In cooperative with private sector, Makeavailable the benefits of new technologies, especiallyinformation and communication

Fixed line and mobiletelephones (per 100people)

0.2 1.3 13.6 50 OnTrack

Internet users (per100 people)

0.2 3.4 … ….

Cellular subscribers per 100 population

64.56(BTRC2012)

Target 8.C. Address the special needs of the leastdeveloped countries,

Target 8.D. Address the special needs of landlockedcountries and small island developing statesTarget 8.E. Deal comprehensively with the debt problemsof developing countries through national andinternational measures in order to make debt sustainablein the long termTarget 8.F. In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies,provide access to affordable, essential drugs indeveloping countriesProportion ofpopulation with accessto affordableessential drugs on asustainable basis, %

_ _ 80(2005)

80(2005)

_

Proportion of bilateralODA of OECD/DAC donors

that is untied (receivedby Bangladesh), %

82(2005)

100(ERD2011)

100 -

ODA received in landlocked developingcountries as a proportion of theirgross national incomes

Not relevant to Bangladesh

ODA received in small islanddeveloping States as a proportion oftheir gross national incomes

Not relevant to Bangladesh

Proportion of total developed countryimports (by value and excluding arms)from developing countries and leastdeveloped countries, admitted free ofduty

Global and DP performance

Debt relief committed under HIPC and MDRI Initiatives

Information not available

Source: UNDP 2009, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics HIES 2010 andBangladesh Planning Commission.In the absence of adequate amount of aid andopportunities to expand exports to the developed

countries, most of the MDGs floated by the UnitedNations will remain unfulfilled and poverty reductiontargets of low-income countries like Bangladesh willremain elusive.

Source: In partnership with the government, undp has launched the aideffectiveness project to maximize the impact of development assistance andto ensure it changes the lives of the most vulnerable people. Photo: undpbangladesh.

Between 1990-91 and 2010-11, the disbursed officialdevelopment assistance (ODA) as a proportion ofBangladesh’s gross domestic product (GDP) has declined from5.6 percent to 1.6 percent. During this period, per capitaODA disbursement fell from US$ 15.75 to US$ 12.01. Duringthe period of 1990-91 to 1996-97, the share of grants andloans in total ODA was about the same. After the period,the share of grants is consistently declining while that ofloans is rising. However, in 2010-11, the share of grantshas increased to 48 percent of total ODA after a longperiod. 

5. Challenges:Bangladesh is undergoing substantial economic and socialchange, and this will intensify in the coming decades.Fundamental forces are in play – the end of the demographictransition, rapid industrialization and structural change,

and substantial rural-urban migration.  These processeswill bring with them a host of developmental pressures.Chief among these are a suite of potential inequities, asthe country moves to MIC status, the tendency towardsdifferentiation in incomes and living conditions willcontinue. This is a by-product of the growth process,Bangladesh’s economic model and its basic geography.  It isvital these are addressed if poverty reduction is to bemaintained, and a host of future problems associated withsocial exclusion are to be avoided. Environmentalpressures, exacerbated by climate change, will remainsignificant and could easily worsen, if remedial actions,at the local and global level are not taken. While thepopulation will stabilization at around 200 million,growing wealth and mass population movements will placefurther enormous strains on ecosystems and the livingenvironment. Better social service provision, especially inhealth and education, is also key to Bangladesh’scontinuing ability to meet core welfare objectives. Whilethe country has done well in meeting its headline MDGobligations, there remain serious weaknesses on the qualityand durability of some outcomes. Major delivery questionsmust be addressed, through the improvement of public sectormanagement and its governance.  Given the tendencies togreater and more complex inequalities, there is a need tolook beyond aggregate data - to service access and take-upof disadvantaged groups, and variations in the geographicalfoot-print of performance. 

5.1. Successes:

Source: Girl children in bangladesh's primary schools nowoutnumber

boys because of a successful education policy. Economic growth and Bangladesh’s economic model haveremained pro-poor. Substantial reductions in the povertyrate, from around 50 per cent in 2000 to just over 30per cent in 2010, alongside broad welfare improvements,have been secured. This is rooted both in basicconditions, relatively low inequality and the high levelof labour intensity, and in successive Governmentsensuring macroeconomic stability and growth promotingpolicies. With the global economic recovery, positivedemographics and improving business and investorconfidence, growth may accelerate above its currenttrend rate of 6 to 6 ½ per cent in the coming years.  Bangladesh retains a deep commitment to socialsolidarity and to a progressive development agenda. Many MDG successes, in areas ranging from povertyreduction to exceptional improvements in infantmortality, to greater gender equity have been secured. The Government has also shown itself, able to recognizedelivery weaknesses and marshal resources accordingly.This is most clear in relation to maternal mortality,where a goal which was well–off track, secured a 30%reduction in deaths during child birth over a four tofive year interval.  This bodes well for futureinterventions to capitalize on MDG successes – such as

social protection reforms, and improved access tohealthcare and schooling.On-going Government actions have greatly improveddisaster preparedness and recovery. Given the extremevulnerabilities faced, the country’s track record hasbeen exceptional improving human security and savinglives. While extreme climatic events still sadly resultin some fatalities, these have been reduceddramatically. This provides a sound basis for addressingallied and pressing questions of environmentalsustainability. 6. Millennium Development Goal (MDG) and Award Achievement of Bangladesh: Six countries including Bangladesh received the UNMillennium Development Goal (MDG) Awards for theirsignificant achievements towards attaining the goal.Three of these countries are from Asia and three fromAfrica.

Source: Bangladesh received the UN award for its remarkable achievementsin attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) particularly inreducing child mortality. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina received the awardat a colorful function at New York's Astoria Hotelon Sunday (19 September2010).

In September 2000, world leaders endorsed the MillenniumDeclaration, a commitment to work together to build asafer, more prosperous and equitable world. TheDeclaration was translated into a roadmap setting outeight time-bound and measurable goals to be reached by2015, known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs):They include goals and targets on poverty, hunger,maternal and child mortality, disease, inadequateshelter, gender inequality, environmental degradationand the Global Partnership for Development.

7. Conclusion:

The deadline for achieving the Millennium DevelopmentGoals (MDGs) is 2015--only 4 years ahead. Reaching thetargets will be a great challenge for Bangladesh. But itis not impossible. We have to give emphasis onemployment, women empowerment, and education. These arethe focal points. If we can develop in these areas thenit will be easier to reach the MDGs targets.

Mahi Uddin M.S.SPublic administration Batch-2007-2008Comilla University, Comilla, Bangladesh.