The Millennium Development Goals of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka - Essay Example

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Name: Number: Course: Lecturer: Date The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) mark a remarkable and effective method of global deployment in achieving vital social priorities worldwide. These goals raise known public alarm in poverty, hunger, disease, unmet schooling, gender inequality, and environmental degradation [UN13]. UN lists 8 goals and include: to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, to achieve universal primary education, to promote gender equality and empower women, to reduce child mortality, to improve maternal health, to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, to ensure environmental sustainability, and to develop a global partnership for development. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are one of two developing countries within South Asia region. Bangladesh started her journey for development progress in the year 1971and since then, for four decades with the help of Rio summit 20+ international initiative that was launched in 1992 for helping in development progress acceleration, the country has reported higher achievements in MDGs. Bangladesh is the most densely populated country in the world. The economy of Bangladesh is agro-based with under half of the total labor force employed in other sectors while more than half of the population involved in agricultural activities. Since independence in 1971, agriculture was the main sector, accounting for over half of total GDP. Bangladesh has limitations of land and the annual floods since British colonization that has led to stumbling economic growth. Agriculture provides source of food, employment, and income generation to Bangladesh people and reduces poverty to people living in rural regions though land is deteriorating due to soil infertility and poor water resources [Ban12]. Rice is the staple crop production in Bangladesh that constitutes a major share in the expenditures for the poor households. Fishing is another key activity in the country, contributing 4.9% to the GDP and providing about 6% of the total export income. Generally, Agriculture is the driving force of the economy contributing about 19 % of country’s GDP in 2013. To date, more than half of the production in Bangladesh is in the service sector with thirty percent produced by industry, thus, a declining part of almost twenty percent of the GDP is produced by the agriculture sector while ready-made garments and remittances are evolving as core forces of the country’s economy. However, labor productivity in this sector has become very low due to lack of competitiveness making the country a net importer of food and causing employment sector reduce to a great number in recent years. In Sri Lanka, agriculture was the leading sector in the economy in value addition and employment generation at the time of its independence from the British power. In this period, agriculture contributed to almost half of GDP and provided employment for the half of the working population. At the time of independence in 1948, plantation exports generated nearly 90 per cent of the total export earnings. Over the past decades, agriculture’s contribution to the Sri Lankan economy has been declining with the increased contribution from the manufacturing and services sectors. Contribution to GDP by agriculture sector is around 11 % in 2013 and per capita income of Sri Lanka is higher than other South Asian Countries. It has achieved a remarkable increase in per capita income over the past few years. The Human Development Index (HDI) gives a summary measure for assessing country’s long-term progress in three basic indicators of human development that include a good life, knowledge accessibility, and a high standard of living. Bangladesh’s HDI value is (0.515), ranking 146 out of 187 countries [UND131]. Though the value is low compared to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh’s HDI value has increased from 0.312 to 0.515, which is an increase of 65 percent. It scores substantial on health compared to education and income. It means that the country has started improving on offering a high standard of wellbeing of people and is trying to achieve MDGs on poverty eradication, education provision, and health facilities improvement. Sri Lanka has performed well across a wide range of human development indicators since the early years of independence. Actually, Sri Lanka is an example of a developing country as mentioned, which has offered her people a high standard of wellbeing. Sri Lanka is a high-level achiever in MDGs having HDI (0.715) ranking 92nd among 187 countries [UND13]. This is the highest rank achieved by a South Asian country. Sri Lanka is one of the first developing countries to invest in human resources and to promote gender equality. It is primarily on track to achieve most of the millennium Development Goals including poverty reduction, primary school enrolment, and gender parity in primary and secondary school enrolment, reducing infant mortality and improving maternal mortality. However, there are regional disparities in achieving the MDGs within the country that needs to address. According to (UNDP, 2013), on Gender Inequality Index (GII) Sri Lanka has value (0.402) while Bangladesh has value (0.518). This shows that reproductive health in terms of maternal mortality is higher, women empowerment is low, and economic activity is staggering in Bangladesh than in Sri Lanka thus Sri Lanka are striving better to achieve MDG goals. Bangladesh has been lagging behind in terms of governance with minimal policy since the independence era and thus has experienced several forms of government with military ruling. There are poverty related policy documents such as Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) and National Strategy for Accelerated Poverty Reduction (NSAPR) formed by the government focusing on three policy areas: pro-poor economic growth, human development, and governance. The document focuses on MDGs such employment, nutrition, quality education, local governance, and maternal health. Other goals include sanitation and safe water and criminal justice and monitoring [Jis12]. The government has encouraged several donors including International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Asian Development Bank and the UN agencies to review progress on development issues. In 1972, the per capita income of Bangladesh was US$190, making it one of the five poorest countries in the world [GED12]. Bangladesh has advanced tremendously in almost all social indicators as measured by the United Nations Human Development Report and in terms of the goals and targets of the Millennium Development Goals. In 2005, the country achieved gender parity in primary and secondary schooling thus, is on track to achieve halving the proportion of population that is below national poverty line and minimum level of energy consumption. It has reducing the under-five child mortality and the infant mortality rate. Bangladesh moved from an agenda for directly addressing gender equality advocacy and support to gender-related policies and laws, government gender mainstreaming efforts, and sex disaggregated data and research to focusing involvements in this area to gender mainstreaming. Development policy in Sri Lanka after the independence has been influenced by different economic and political principles that changed from time to time. Early years after the independence until socialism heavily influenced government economic policies. Government played a key role in protection and promotion of economic and social well-being of its citizens. Government took the sole responsibility of free health care and education to the whole population. A subsidized measure was provided to all the citizens. Agrarian policies were viewed as the final solution to economic and social problems in the country. Import substitution remained the focus of development favoring agriculture sector. After 1960s, industrialization began. Industrialization was promoted through import substitution. After 1977, the government initiated major policy reforms aimed at liberalizing the economy to achieve higher growth rates. Sri Lanka was the first country among South Asian countries to initiate policy reforms in order to move away from import substitution policies and integrate into the world. After 1990s, private sector was considered as the engine of growth. Government served the welfare of people. Policies focused more on poverty mitigation and equitable distribution of income. As you see, Sri Lanka was a pioneer in implementing welfare improvement policies and open market policies that helped in achieving higher GDP growth and other development attributes ahead of other developing South Asian countries in the region. Nevertheless, economic and political instability because of the war had a huge negative impact on development efforts not only in the areas where the conflict actually happened throughout the country. Goal 1 is to eradicated poverty and hunger. Sri Lanka, poverty declined from 26 per cent in 1990/91 to 15 per cent in 2006/07 and the country is on course to attain the MDG target of halving poverty by 2015. The poor are getting less poor on average. Children who are underweight and malnutrition are on track and mothers are being educated on how to choose right the food for their children. Enabling continued poverty reduction will be ensured if Sri Lanka continues to focus on supportable agriculture, rural employment and income generation [IPS10]. Bangladesh has reduced poverty from 56.6 percent in 1991-92 to 31.5 percent in 2010. The country will achieve the MDG goal by 2015 halving the population living under poverty line from 56.6% to 29% if it continues in this manner [GED12] Goal 2 is to achieve universal primary education. Sri Lanka offers free education for several decades and has almost achieved the universal primary education target, with a net enrolment rate of 98 per cent in 2010 and literacy improvement rate of 98.3 percent of the youth age population. Bangladesh will not be able to meet this goal by 2015 due to not adhering to government constitution in offering free education and compulsory education. Goal 3 is to promote gender equality and empower women. The proportion of women members in the national Parliament in Sri Lanka is low compared to other South Asian countries: it has increased from 3 per cent in 1947 to only 5.8 per cent following the 2010 election, thus, there is a poor representation of women in the government [IPS10]. Bangladesh has representation of women as 19% though they are poorly paid [GED12]. Goal 4 is to reduce child mortality. In Sri Lanka, there has been a fall in the under-fives mortality rate, from 32 per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 17 per 1,000 in 2010.there is more effort needed to be done on this [IPS10] while in Bangladesh has reduced from 146 per 1,000 in 1990 to 50 per 1,000 in 2010. The country offer immunization programs, vitamin A and diarrhea vaccines. Goal 5 is to improve maternal health. In Sri Lanka, there is near universal access to healthcare, and 98 per cent of deliveries take place in health institutions. Maternal mortality rates have decreased from 85 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 35 per 100,000 in 2010 thus the goal is on track [IPS10]. In Bangladesh, in 1990 maternal mortality rate was 574 in 100,000 while in 2010 is 194 per 100,000 thus on track [GED12]. Goal 6 is to combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and other diseases. In Sri Lanka, there is no assessment registered on HIV/AIDS. However, malaria is on track due to use of bed nets but the country will not meet the target for tuberculosis control. This is similar to Bangladesh. Goal 7 is to ensure environmental sustainability. In Sri Lanka, the target is off track on reversing loss of environmental resources while targets for reducing the rate of biodiversity loss, drinking water and sanitation have already been met where over 88 % of the households have access to improved drinking water in year 2010 [IPS10]. In Bangladesh, access to safe drinking water is a challenge due to arsenic contamination whereby 62% use safe drinking water [GED12]. Goal 8 is to develop a global partnership in development. Sri Lanka, Several developed countries have imposed harsh trade terms and tariffs contributed to a reduction in Sri Lanka’s exports to developed countries from 91.7 per cent in 1992 to 68.7 per cent in 2006.Net official development assistance (ODA) dropped sharply from US$731 million in 2008 to US$581 million in 2010. Nontraditional bilateral collaborators such as have become more important. Usage and access to technology remain low [IPS10]. In Bangladesh, ODA) dropped sharply from 5.6 percent to 2.2% in 2010. Usage of technology has tremendously improved [GED12] Bangladesh has not been achieving the MDGs in their totality similar to Sri Lanka due to country’s inability to implement policies and programs, given the poor governance in terms of inefficiency and corruption, lack of transparency and responsibility, poor law, and order conditions. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have limited domestic resources that enable them not to implement programmers to achieve the goals and thus the countries requires resources to achieve development of infrastructure, improved management of power and ports, and achievement of a better investment climate to meet the MDGs. Putting end to the civil conflict stimulates the development efforts making a better environment for the private sector and the potential investors. Not having effective institutions leading to higher levels of corruption is a barrier to achieving expected level of growth and development hindering the development efforts, which is one of the important aspects of development that government needs to address to achieve their expected level of development in the future. The government should create awareness of services offered to communities and ensure effective poverty eradication implementation. It should create jobs for youths matching education qualification not only on agriculture. Parents and guardians should be educated on the importance of education to reduce school dropout rates. In addition, health of young women and gender-based violence should be considered to ensure promotion of women empowerment. In addition, government should not work alone but invite private sectors for country’s development. Rainwater should be harvested to ensure clean drinking water to the people and health is a right thus, people should be educated on it and treated on several diseases. References UN13: , (UN, 2013), Ban12: , (Bangladesh, 2012), UND131: , (UNDP, Human Development Report 2013: Bangladesh, 2013), UND13: , (UNDP, 2013), Jis12: , (Gietema, 2012), GED12: , (GED, 2012), IPS10: , (IPS, 2010), Read More