All Eight MDGs not Achievable

Though the government has through its Three-Year Interim plan committed to Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), it seems three of the eight goals are impossible to achieve.

Nepal is one of 189 countries committed to MDGs.

The MDG progress report for Nepal suggests that despite the decade-long conflict Nepal is likely or potentially able to meet all goals except poverty alleviation, global partnership and anti-AIDS drive.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight goals to be achieved by 2015 that respond to the world's main development challenges.

There has indeed been tangible progress on some of the targets. Poverty incidence has gone down by over a percentage point per year since the midnineties. "Poverty alleviation and global partnership for development, the first and the last of the eight goals, are still elusive," according to MDG Campaign and Advocacy.

Eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, primary education for all, women's empowerment, reduction in child mortality rate, improving maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensuring environmental sustainability and global partnership for development are the eight MDGs.

For lack of coordination between the government's own goals and MDGs, the fight against extreme hunger is a lost one. According to the report, unhealthy competition among social groups has made it impossible to achieve this goal. Though the poverty level in Nepal has declined to 21 per cent, the reason for it is not the government or MDGs but the inflow of remittance.

There is progress in the goal of universal primary education goal. Primary education for all status that was 64 per cent in 1990 has now reached 90 per cent.

There is an overwhelming improvement in women empowerment and gender equality, with 33 per cent women representation in the Constitution Assembly.

Child mortality rate has been reduced to half in 10 years and the present challenge is to reduce the mortality rate of children below five years of age from the current 54 per cent.

The report states that goal number five is achievable as the maternal mortality rate has come down by around 50 per cent since the 90s. The report said that on the other hand, cases of HIV/AIDS in the country are increasing.