Progress In Millennium Development Goals Research Articles

Changes in the ecosystem service importance of the seven major river basins in China during the implementation of the Millennium development goals (2000–2015) and sustainable development goals (2015–2020)

In 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) replaced the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), providing guidance and direction for the future development of countries around the world. Both MDG and SDG have established multiple indicators to achieve environmental sustainability. However, few studies have compared the changes in the ecological environment during the two periods. Therefore, this study selected the seven major river basins in China as the study area and comprehensively assessed the changes in ecosystem service importance (ESI) within different basins in the MDG and SDG periods based on six ecosystem services, including habitat quality, soil conservation, water yield, carbon storage, grain production, and aesthetic landscape. Specifically, the changes from 2000 to 2015 and 2015 to 2020 were used to represent MDG and SDG periods, respectively. The results showed that the overall ESI of the seven major river basins showed an increasing trend in both periods, and the proportion of extremely important basins reached 20.39% in 2020, mostly distributed in the Yangtze River basin and the Pearl River basin. Except for carbon storage, other ecosystem services were restored in the SDG period. However, COVID-19 and a series of sudden disasters in 2020 have greatly affected grain production and the aesthetic landscape. The fluctuation of habitat quality also indicated that although the ecological environment has a trend of recovery, there was still some degradation compared to 20 years ago. National protection policies and restoration projects have gradually improved the ecological environment of the seven river basins and are striving to reach the SDG standards step by step. However, many problems still need to be solved urgently, such as the reduction of ecological land, the increase in carbon emissions, and the weak resilience to disasters. China has made significant positive progress in MDG, and more efforts are needed to achieve the SDG goals in the future.

TRANSITION FROM MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS: A CLOSE SCRUTINY FROM INDIA

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have gained a lot of interest due to the partial success of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in eradication of poverty and human development. India has taken a lot of initiatives to meet the targets for the same and have achieved progress in this regard. The MDGs were particularly helpful in communicating a clear purpose of development aid to mobilize public support. The SDGs seek to address not only the root causes of poverty but also the universal need for sustained development to provide a life of dignity to all. The main objectives of the present study are; to examine the performance of Millennium Development goals (MDGs) and make a comparison with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in India; to compare the component wise progress and policy initiatives of MDGs and SDGs in India; and to analyze the current progress of SDGs in India and also make a comparison among Indian states using the report of SDG India Index 2019. The data has collected from various official publications of UN, Government of India, NITI Aayog, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. The present study finds that SDG proposals will ensure momentum generated by MDGs is carried through to 2030 to end deprivations. India’s achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals will require a focus on the acceleration of inclusive economic growth; guaranteed access to comprehensive social services; vast investment in basic infrastructure and women’s empowerment. The present study is an attempt to analyze these issues in India.

Sustainable development from millennium 2015 to Sustainable Development Goals 2030

AbstractIn modern economies, the advancement of well‐being of the citizens should be in an inclusive and sustainable way. In this respect, the sustainable welfare targets should exclusively include three main pillars: economic growth, social inclusion, and environmental protection. These pillars consist of qualitative and nonmonetary, as well as monetary and quantitative indicators to monitor. Although sustainable development today is well‐appreciated in most governments' agenda, yet it is generally not a trivial task to measure its progress especially due to multidimensional nature of some targets. In this article, sustainable development is measured by using a wide range of indicators within multidimensional perspective of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2015. Indicators cover wide spectrum of areas such as poverty reduction, health, education, gender equality, and environment. An index creation method is developed for measuring the level and the performance of countries' progress through achieving MDGs. The index score levels and the rankings of countries are compared with similar indexes developed by United Nations. Finally, countries are classified according to their achievements relative to other countries (which is measured by the index) versus their self‐achievement performances (in terms of improvement of the index over years) in a big matrix. Results demonstrate the importance of measuring country performances in both dimensions. Understanding the progress in MDGs can help settle on binding targets for achieving the country specific goals in economic and noneconomic areas and on the mechanisms to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030, which set amid on the success of MDGs.

Association between the Human Development Index and Millennium Development Goals 6 Indicators in Sub-Saharan Africa from 2000 to 2014: Implications for the New Sustainable Development Goals

It is important to assess whether regional progress toward achieving the millennium development goals (MDGs) has contributed to human development and whether this has had an effect on the triple burden of disease in the continent. This analysis investigates the association between the human development index (HDI) and co-occurrence of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria as measured by MDG 6 indicators in 35 selected sub-Saharan African countries from 2000 to 2014. The analysis used secondary data from the United Nations Development Programme data repository for HDI and disease data from WHO Global Health observatory data repository. Generalized Linear Regression Models were used to analyze relationships between HDI and MDG 6 indicators. HDI was observed to improve from 2001 to 2014, and this varied across the selected sub-regions. There was a significant positive relationship between HDI and HIV prevalence in East Africa (β = 0.048 [95% CI: 0.040–0.056], p < 0.001) and Southern Africa (β = 0.032 [95% CI: 0.002–0.062], p = 0.034). A significant positive relationship was observed with TB incidence (β = 0.009 [95% CI: 0.003–0.015], p = 0.002) and a significant negative relationship was observed with malaria incidence (β = -0.020 (95% CI: -0.029 to -0.010, p < 0.001) in East Africa. Observed improvements in HDI from the year 2000 to 2014 did not translate into commensurate progress in MDG 6 goals.

Standardizing evaluation process: Necessary for achieving SDGs – A case study of India

A set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015 are to be implemented and achieved in every country from the year 2016 to 2030. In Indian context, all these goals are very relevant and critical, as India missed the target on many components of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The author strongly feels that one of the key reasons was lack of an in-built robust system for measuring the progress and achievements of MDGs. Monitoring and Evaluation of programmes and schemes, aiming at different SDGs, in a robust and regular manner is therefore need of the hour. A National evaluation policy (NEP) would set the tone in the right direction from the very beginning for achieving SDGs.The paper taking India as a case study discusses different critical factors pertinent for having a well laid down national level policy towards standardizing evaluation. Using real examples under different components of an evaluation policy, the paper discusses and questions the credibility and acceptance of the present evaluation system in place. The paper identifies five core mantras or pre-requisites of a national evaluation guideline. The paper emphasizes the importance of an evaluation policy in India and other countries as well, to provide authentic data gathered through a well-designed evaluation process and take corrective measures well on time to achieve SDGs.

Influence of good governance implementation on healthcare performance in three Provinces in Indonesia

This study analyzes the role of good governance and its impact on the performance of regional governments in the three Indonesian provinces that showed the greatest progress in Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): DKI Jakarta, Aceh, and West Nusa Tenggara. This study was a narrative review, a critical appraisal of the chosen articles was done according to the method for preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA). Based on government performance reviews according to the Indonesian Governance Index (IGI), DKI Jakarta is far above the national average score of 6.37. Overall the three provinces have implemented good governance based on good leadership, commitment, and integrity to public service. Poor internal control, partly caused by the lack of an accountable and transparent mindset, was identified as an obstacle in the implementation of good governance in the three provinces. Thus, the implementation of good governance is necessary for improving the quality of healthcare services. A correlation is evident between improved growth and development indices and good governance. The government plays an important role and need to adjust according to local wisdom should be further explored in the future.

Trends in maternal and neonatal mortality in South Africa: a systematic review protocol

BackgroundMeasuring and monitoring progress towards Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 4 and 5 requires valid and reliable estimates of maternal and neonatal mortality. In South Africa, there are conflicting reports on the estimates of maternal and neonatal mortality, derived from both direct and indirect estimation techniques. This study aims to systematically review the estimates made of maternal and neonatal mortality in the period from 1990 to 2015 in South Africa and determine trends over this period.MethodsFor the purpose of this review, searches for eligible studies will be conducted in MEDLINE, Africa-Wide Information, African Index Medicus, African Journals Online, Scopus, Web of Science and CINAHL databases. Searches will be restricted to articles written in English and presenting data covering the period between 1990 and 2015. Reference lists of retrieved articles will also be screened for additional publications. Three independent reviewers will be involved in the study selection, data extractions and achieving consensus. Study quality and risk of bias will thereafter be assessed by two authors. The results will be presented as rates/ratio with their corresponding 95% confidence/uncertainty intervals.DiscussionIdentifying trends in maternal and neonatal mortality will help to track progress in MDGs 4 and 5 and will serve in evaluating interventions focusing on reducing maternal and child mortality in the country. This study will, in particular, provide the context for understanding inconsistencies in reported estimates of maternal and neonatal mortality by considering estimation methods, data sources and definitions used.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42016042769

Countdown to 2015 country case studies: what can analysis of national health financing contribute to understanding MDG 4 and 5 progress?

BackgroundCountdown to 2015 (Countdown) supported countries to produce case studies that examine how and why progress was made toward the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5. Analysing how health-financing data explains improvements in RMNCH outcomes was one of the components to the case studies.MethodsThis paper presents a descriptive analysis on health financing from six Countdown case studies (Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Malawi, Pakistan, Peru, and Tanzania), supplemented by additional data from global databases and country reports on macroeconomic, health financing, demographic, and RMNCH outcome data as needed. It also examines the effect of other contextual factors presented in the case studies to help interpret health-financing data.ResultsDramatic increases in health funding occurred since 2000, where the MDG agenda encouraged countries and donors to invest more resources on health. Most low-income countries relied on external support to increase health spending, with an average 20–64 % of total health spending from 2000 onwards. Middle-income countries relied more on government and household spending. RMNCH funding also increased since 2000, with an average increase of 119 % (2005–2010) for RMNH expenditures (2005–2010) and 165 % for CH expenditures (2005–2011). Progress was made, especially achieving MDG 4, even with low per capita spending; ranging from US$16 to US$44 per child under 5 years among low-income countries.Improvements in distal factors were noted during the time frame of the analysis, including rapid economic growth in Ethiopia, Peru, and Tanzania and improvements in female literacy as documented in Malawi, which are also likely to have contributed to MDG progress and achievements.ConclusionsIncreases in health and RMNCH funding accompanied improvements in outcomes, though low-income countries are still very reliant on external financing, and out-of-pocket comprising a growing share of funds in middle-income settings. Enhancements in tracking RMNCH expenditures across countries are still needed to better understand whether domestic and global health financing initiatives lead to improved outcomes as RMNCH continues to be a priority under the Sustainable Development Goals.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3403-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Addressing the health of vulnerable populations: a call for papers

The end of the millennium development goals (MDGs) in 2015 marked a turning point in addressing some of the world’s most pressing and complex development challenges outlined in 2000 by the global development community. The goals, which were designed to mobilize global attention around eight priority development issues, were unprecedented in both scale and pace. Their implementation has led to significant achievements including a decline in mortality from tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections, a decline in child and maternal mortality and improved access to safe drinking water and sanitation. These achievements show that many of the goals have been met.1 However, the MDGs and their focus on aggregate-level measures of progress masked the inequalities in health outcomes that existed between and within countries, regions and subgroups in a given population.2,3 Learning from the MDG experience, the new 2030 agenda for sustainable development has been firmly anchored in the principles of universality.4 Its goals are applicable to all regardless of their country’s level of development. The goals are non-discriminatory to ensure that no one is left behind.5 The sustainable development agenda places social justice, equity, efficacy and a people-centred approach at its core. It calls for targeted attention to the needs and rights of the most vulnerable and excluded,4 to ensure a life of dignity for all.3 While the ambitious sustainable development goals (SDGs) are welcomed, the challenge of translating them into action is significant.5 Effective implementation requires defining the vulnerable – those who are left behind – and giving priority to those furthest behind. Vulnerability or exclusion in its broad definition can vary significantly and may change over time.6 Individual factors such as sex, age, race, gender, ethnicity, displacement, disability and health status can lead to increased vulnerability of individuals and communities. These vulnerability factors often overlap and can contribute to poor health outcomes.6 MDG progress reports show that some population groups systematically had worse health outcome measures.3 The aim of targeted action focused on leaving no one behind is to recognize that vulnerable groups exist in all communities and vulnerability occurs within various social and economic contexts. Implementation of the SDGs requires metrics to measure inclusion and exclusion of specific population groups.6 There are methods in selected disciplines to measure social inclusion and exclusion, health inequality, discrimination, the cost of exclusion to societies, cost–effectiveness of addressing marginalization and promoting a universal and equitable development agenda. There are also effective interventions to tackle the causes of vulnerability in different groups and settings. The Bulletin of the World Health Organization will publish a theme issue on addressing the health of vulnerable populations. For the purpose of this theme issue, the term vulnerability encompasses the effects of marginalization, exclusion and discrimination that contribute to poor health outcomes. It will focus on vulnerable groups, the drivers behind their marginalization or exclusion from wider development progress and emerging strategies to accelerate progress tailored to their needs. It will include original research articles on two challenges that are expected to be facing those implementing the 2030 agenda for sustainable development: how to identify those who are being left behind and how to measure and monitor progress in addressing inequality. Articles will provide experience from country-level implementation of effective interventions targeting vulnerable groups. We welcome papers for all sections of the Bulletin, around four themes: (i) who, where and why vulnerable populations exist; (ii) constructs of social exclusion and the measurement of social inclusion and exclusion; (iii) interventions that reach vulnerable populations in the context of the SDGs at the micro- and macro-policy levels; (iv) factors contributing to and exacerbating vulnerabilities. The deadline for submissions is 31 May 2016. Manuscripts should be submitted in accordance with the Bulletin’s Guidelines for contributors (http://submit.bwho.org), and the cover letter should mention this call for papers. All submissions will be peer reviewed.

Combating HIV and/or AIDS: A challenge to Millennium Development Goals for disaster managers in the Southern African Development Community.

Disaster management is a process of planning and implementation of measures involving multiple disciplines and sectors; hence Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) cannot go unnoticed. Approximately 189 member states agreed to endeavour to achieve MDGs which should be accomplished by 2015. The purpose of this research was to establish the primary involvement of the disaster management fraternity within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region in this agreement. SADC countries are the countries with a high prevalence of HIV and AIDS and they feature on the disaster manager’s priority list of hazards, hence the focus on MDG 6 for this study. Various data gathering tools were employed and included making use of indicators developed by the United Nations to review disaster management statutes or civil protection statutes and scholarly documents on the progress of MDG 6. Structured interviews were carried out with heads of disaster management centres of SADC countries through the guidance of MDG 6 indicators. The main findings were that most statutes do acknowledge the fight against epidemics and most disaster managers are aware of MDG 6 and are involved in its achievement. It was recommended that disaster managers should be part of the Post 2015 MDG delegation.

Finding the gap: revealing local disparities in coverage of maternal, newborn and child health services in South Sudan using lot quality assurance sampling.

We adapted a rapid monitoring method to South Sudan, a new nation with one of the world's highest maternal and child mortality rates, aiming to assess coverage of maternal, neonatal and child health (MNCH) services at the time of independence, and introducing a monitoring and evaluation system (M&E) for equity-sensitive tracking of progress related to Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 4 and 5 at national, state and county levels to detect local variability. We conducted a national cross-sectional household survey among women from six client populations in all, but six of South Sudan's 79 counties. We used lot quality assurance sampling (LQAS) to measure coverage with diverse MNCH indicators to obtain information for national-, state- and county-level health system management decision-making. National coverage of MNCH services was low for all maternal and neonatal care, child immunisation, and child care indicators. However, results varied across states and counties. Central Equatoria State (CES), where the capital is located, showed the highest coverage for most indicators (e.g. ≥4 antenatal care visits range: 4.5% in Jonglei to 40.1% in CES). Urban counties often outperformed rural ones. This adaptation of LQAS to South Sudan demonstrates how it can be used in the future as an M&E system to track progress of MDGs at national, state and county levels to detect local disparities. Overall, our data reveal a desperate need for improving MNCH service coverage in all states.

Has Bangladesh really come ahead of the LDCs?

This research evaluated socioeconomic and environmental progresses of Bangladesh in comparison with the least developed countries (LDCs) in 2015. The analyses covered the millennium development goals (MDGs), global development indices and LDC graduation criteria. It measured the pace of progress for the indicators with numerical targets in the MDGs. On the other hand, the scores of global indices and LDC criteria were used to identify progress in between recent and lag years. Bangladesh made higher progress in MDGs compared to the LDCs except a few targets with gender equality and environmental sustainability. However, a base for human development was created in Bangladesh for very satisfactory progresses in poverty eradication, universal primary education and health care. It also made satisfactory progress in well-recognized global indices of which hunger and happiness were the most. Moreover, the country improved its status in LDC graduation criteria and made satisfactory progress among LDCs. Only the progress in MDG indicators brought Bangladesh ahead of the LDCs, but it was just above half of the LDCs in other global indices and LDC criteria.

Implementation of Pre-Enabling Family Program (Program Keluarga Harapan) to Support The Millennium Development Goals in Indonesia (Case Study in Kaloran Sub-District, Temanggung Regency of Central Java Province)

One of the programs associated with the achievement of MDGs, especially in welfare and development of society is Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), in Indonesia is the Pre-Enabling Family Program ( Program Keluarga Harapan ). In national level, this program was implemented since 2007 launched by the government aim to eradicate household-based poverty but in Kaloran Sub-District of Temanggung Regency held since 2012. This study intends to describe the policy on PEF program as conditional cash transfer program to eradicate poverty. This study found that PEF program implementation in the study area is good if seen from bureaucratic structures, resources, communication and disposition of the implementer. But in Temanggung Regency, the achievement progress of Millennium Development Goals is no difference before and after implemented PEF Program in 2012. Keywords: Conditional Cash Transfer, Millennium Development Goals, Poverty Reduction, Pre-Enabling Family Program

Millennium Development Goals progress: a perspective from sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa is a highly diverse geo-political region. Any brief discussion of the progress made over the last 15 years towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will therefore not do...

New dialogue for the way forward in maternal health: addressing market inefficiencies.

Despite notable progress in Millennium Development Goal (MDG) five, to reduce maternal deaths three-quarters by 2015, deaths due to treatable conditions during pregnancy and childbirth continue to concentrate in the developing world. Expanding access to three effective and low-cost maternal health drugs can reduce preventable maternal deaths, if available to all women. However, current failures in markets for maternal health drugs limit access to lifesaving medicines among those most in need. In effort to stimulate renewed action planning in the post-MDG era, we present three case examples from other global health initiatives to illustrate how market shaping strategies can scale-up access to essential maternal health drugs. Such strategies include: sharing intelligence among suppliers and users to better approximate and address unmet need for maternal health drugs, introducing innovative financial strategies to catalyze otherwise unattractive markets for drug manufacturers, and employing market segmentation to create a viable and sustainable market. By building on lessons learned from other market shaping interventions and capitalizing on opportunities for renewed action planning and partnership, the maternal health field can utilize market dynamics to better ensure sustainable and equitable distribution of essential maternal health drugs to all women, including the most marginalized.

Measuring Equitable MDG Progress

How do we identify and highlight countries achieving equitable Millennium Development Goal (MDG) progress? The answer lies in how we measure MDG progress. The current approach focuses solely on scale. Most policymakers have focused on the size, rather than the shape of change. Measuring equitable progress will make policymakers work harder towards large-scale and equitable progress. This article proposes an approach to combine scale with equity of progress into a single indicator – it can also be applied to national measurements of progress and provides a concrete manner in which to include equity in the post-2015 agenda. The article applies the methodology to 62 countries, and compares standard average progress with equity-adjusted progress. It then isolates the equity component of progress, and highlights the strengths and challenges of this approach. Finally, the article illustrates that when indicators incorporate both the size and shape of progress valuable new policy objectives emerge that would otherwise be missed.

Analysis on Latin America's Aid Demand and Suggestions for the Priority Sectors

In recent years, the relatively high in-comes achieved by countries in Latin America have ruled them out as partners for development cooperation. However, 30% of its population still lives under the poverty level, while both income disparity and rural-urban disparity remain high, which point to a high demand for development cooperation. Therefore, this study conducted a quantitative analysis to identify priority sectors and suggest sectoral plans for the official development assis-tance (ODA) toward Latin American countries. For a more effective analysis, we take into consideration the region's political and economic situation, its progress in Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and related achievements, and possible benefits for the region. Lastly, based on this analysis, we evaluated the environ-ment of the development cooperation of the region.

Taking stock of Myanmar’s progress toward the health-related Millennium Development Goals: current roadblocks, paths ahead

Myanmar is a developing country with considerable humanitarian needs, rendering its pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) an especially high priority. Yet progress to date remains under-examined on key fronts. Particularly within the three health-related MDGs (MDGs 4, 5, and 6), the limited data reported point to patchy levels of achievement. This study was undertaken to provide an overview and assessment of Myanmar’s progress toward the health-related MDGs, along with possible solutions for accelerating health-related development into 2015 and beyond. The review highlights off-track progress in the spheres of maternal and child health (MDGs 4 and 5). It also shows Myanmar’s achievements toward MDG 6 targets – in the areas of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. Such achievements are especially notable in that Myanmar has been receiving the lowest level of official development assistance among all of the least developed countries in Asia. However, to make similar progress in MDGs 4 and 5, Myanmar needs increased investment and commitment in health. Toward moving forward with the post-2015 development agenda, Myanmar’s government also needs to take the lead in calling for attention from the World Health Organization and its global development partners to address the stagnation in health-related development progress within the country. In particular, Myanmar’s government should invest greater efforts into health system strengthening to pave the road to universal health coverage.

Moving forward: nurses are key to achieving the United Nations Development Program's Millennium Development Goals

AMIEVA S. &amp; FERGUSON S. (2011) Moving forward: nurses are key to achieving the United Nations Development Program's Millennium Development Goals. International Nursing Review59, 55–58Aim: This article highlights the role of nurses in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5 (reducing child and maternal mortality) and proposes actions for nurses that stream into the strategic frameworks of the World Health Organization and the United Nations.Background: The least amount of progress has been made with MDG 5 and failing to achieve MDG 5 jeopardizes the progress of MDG 4.Conclusion: This article makes the following recommendations to nurses: partner with local healthcare leaders, ensure equitable access to health services, collect health data to close research gaps and take on policy making responsibilities.

Visual tracking of the millennium development goals with a fuzzified self-organizing neural network

This paper uses the self-organizing map (SOM), a neural network-based projection and clustering technique, for monitoring the millennium development goals (MDGs). The eight MDGs represent commitments to reduce poverty and hunger, and to tackle ill-health, gender inequality, lack of education, lack of access to clean water and environmental degradation by 2015. This paper presents a SOM model for cross sectional and temporal visual benchmarking of countries and pairs the map with a geospatial dimension by mapping the clustering onto a geographic map. The temporal monitoring is facilitated by fuzzifying the second-level clustering with membership degrees. By creating an MDG index, and associating the SOM model with it, the model enables cross sectional and temporal analysis of the overall MDG progress of countries or regions. Further, the SOM model enables analysis of country-specific as well as regional performance according to a user-specified level of aggregation. The result of this paper is an MDG map for visual tracking and monitoring of the progress of MDG indicators.