Guyana and Tajikistan
By Rachel Schwieger
and Allie Hansen
1. Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger
• A condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic
human needs, including food, safe drinking water,
sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and
information. It depends not only on income but also on
access to services.
1. Poverty and Hunger
Guyana:
“The proportion of the population living in extreme
poverty has declined from 28.7 percent in 1993 to
18.6 percent in 2006. In order to meet the MDG
target for poverty reduction, the extreme poverty
rate must be reduced by a further 4 percentage
points by 2015.”
Comparing: Both countries struggled with
hunger and poverty but they have both made lots
of improvements to achieve the goal by 2015.
Tajikistan is on track to achieve the goal. Guyana
has all the potential to reach the goal but if
something were to happen to the country they
could not make the goal.
Tajikistan:
“The annual rate of decline in overall poverty was
3.3% and there is every reason to assert that by
2015 in Tajikistan this level will be below the
poverty line specified in the MDG, i.e. 41.5%.
2. Achieve Universal Primary Education
• ensure that by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls
alike will be able to complete a full course of primary
schooling.
2. Achieve Universal Primary Education
Guyana:
“The net primary school enrollment rate has
consistently been above 95 percent since 2000
according to survey data and all indications are
that access to education is virtually universal.”
Comparing: Both countries have been great about
achieving the goal of primary education. That is a
big step for these countries. However, we did read
that Tajikistan did have issues with keeping people
in school after primary grades.
Tajikistan:
“According to the last statistically results, the net
primary school enrollment is 97% in Tajikistan
(2005)”
3. Promote gender equality and Empower
Women
• Refers to the view that men and women should receive
equal treatment, and should not be discriminated against
based on gender, unless there is a sound biological
reason for different treatment.
3. Promote gender equality and Empower
Woman
Guyana:
“Guyana has made very good progress towards
promoting gender equality and the empowerment
of women. The country met the target of
eliminating gender disparity in primary and
secondary education, and strives towards parity at
the tertiary level. Employment of women is targeted
for improvement and female political representation
in Parliament has substantially increased.”
Comparing: Guyana has made great progress
with this goal and will only get better. In Tajikistan
however, they started to take a step forward but
then went back again. They are having issues with
keeping women in school which creates a big
problem because the women are not well
educated.
Tajikistan:
“As for Goal 3, Promote gender equality and
empower women, the bulk of the targets to ensure
gender equality under the inertial development
scenario over the next five years will not be
achieved. Unfortunately, some indicators for 2008
compared with 2000 even declined (the ratio of
boys and girls in secondary education, the
proportion of women in both houses of the national
legislature).”
4. Reduce Child Mortality Rate
• Also know as under-5 mortality, refers to the death of
infants and children under the age of five.
4. Reduce Child Mortality Rate
Guyana:
“Both infant and child mortality have shown
decreasing trends over the years. The under-five
mortality rate in Guyana has declined from 120 per
1,000 live births in 1991 to 17 per 1,000 live births
in 2008, resulting in early achievement of the MDG
target.”
Comparing: Guyana has achieve this goal early
and shows that it will only decrease more in years
to come. Tajikistan has improved but will not reach
the goal in time because just don’t have enough
educated people to help raise or teach others how
to raise the children correctly.
Tajikistan:
“Preliminary analysis shows that Goal 4
Reduce child mortality by the end of the
period is unlikely to reach the planned
targets by its two key indicators - the
mortality rate of children under 5 and infant
mortality rate. For the last 20 years the first
indicator has fallen only by half and the
second indicator has decreased by 46.3%.
In the remaining five years, with no
additional measures achievement of the
planned targets at 35.0% and 44.2%,
respectively, is unlikely to become a reality.”
5. Improve Maternal Health
• Which is the health of woman during pregnancy,
childbirth, and the postpartum period. It encompasses the
health care dimensions of family planning, preconception,
prenatal, and postnatal care in order to reduce maternal
morbidity and mortality.
5. Improve Maternal Health
Guyana:
“Maternal mortality rate has been on a
decreasing trend in recent years. The maternal
mortality ratio declined from an adjusted
baseline of 320 deaths per 100,000 live births in
1991 to 86 deaths per 100,000 live births in
2008. In general maternal health has improved,
bolstered by almost universal antenatal care
coverage, increased access to improved
facilities and - a key indicator of success - that
over 96 percent of births are now attended by
skilled health personnel.”
Comparison: Guyana has made significant
progress in this developmental goal. The fact that
maternal health has increased in such a short
period of time suggests that they will reach their
goal by 2015.
Tajikistan:
“As far as Goal 5 Improve Maternal Health, it
seems more than a dramatic one, requiring
immediate interventions. By 2009 maternal
mortality rate was 4.1% higher compared to the
early 90-ies (if no higher given that in the rural
areas the information on the death cases is
increasingly getting uncertain). In the coming 5
years the 2.9-fold reduction of maternal mortality
is hardly achievable.”
Tajikistan however, has had a difficult time
finding the resources to gain a decrease in
maternal deaths. They will not reach their 2015
goal.
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other
Diseases
• HIV/AIDS- a disease of the human immune system
cause by infection with human immunodeficiency virus,
HIV is transmitted primarily via unprotected sexual
intercourse, contaminated blood transfusions, hypodermic
needles, and from mother to child during pregnancy,
delivery, and breastfeeding.
• Malaria- is a mosquito infectious disease of humans and
other animals caused by parasitic protozoans (a type of
unicellular microorganism) of the genus Plasmodium.
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other Diseases
Guyana:
“Guyana records overall steady progress
towards this sixth MDG Goal of combating
HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. The
country shows signs of beginning to halt the
spread of HIV/AIDS and is projected to meet
the target of achieving universal access to
treatment for HIV/AIDS for all those who need
it. There is positive news for malaria control
as well, with prevalence rates confirming that
the country has succeeded in meeting the
target of reducing the incidence of the
disease. The prevalence of tuberculosis
shows tentative signs of a decline, with
reduced incidence over the 2008-2009
reporting period.”
Tajikistan:
“Similar trends are in Goal 6 Combat HIV/AIDS,
tuberculosis, malaria and other major diseases.
Only in the 2000's the number of patients with HIV /
AIDS and TB has increased by 149.8 and 2.1 times
respectively (per 100,000 population). Rapid
reduction of the HIV\AIDS cases can be feasible
through introduced innovations. As far TB cases
their number can be reduced by implementation of
the radical measures aimed at abrupt change of
dietary energy consumption structure.”
Comparison: Tajikistan will not reach the
2015 goal unless there is an intervention and
import of supplies for them to fight this epidemic.
Guyana has had a dramatic decrease in HIV
positive citizens, suggesting that their goal for
2015 is achievable.
7. To Ensure Environmental Sustainability
• How biological systems endure and remain diverse and
productive. Healthy ecosystems and environments are
necessary to survival of humans and other organisms.
7. To Ensure Environmental Sustainability
Guyana:
“Guyana has recorded multiple successes in the
national quest to ensure environmental
sustainability. The country has satisfied the target
of integrating the principles of sustainable
development into country policies and programs
and is committed to significantly reducing
biodiversity loss. The MDG targets of halving the
proportion of the population without access to safe
drinking water and basic sanitation have been met,
and there have been notable increases in the
population’s access to adequate housing.
Government continues to pursue aggressive
strategies to ensure that the entire nation benefits
from access to safe water, improved sanitation and
adequate and affordable housing.”
Comparison: Guyana has really made this
developmental gal a priority. They are headed
towards sustainability, as well as Tajikistan. They
both are expected to reach their 2015 goal.
Tajikistan:
“Definite progress is recorded in meeting the
targets towards Goal 7 Land areas covered by
forests. Land area covered by forests and nature
protection zones are expanding. Emissions of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have been
sharply declined with increased energy efficiency
(kg of oil per $ 1 GDP). However, such indicators
as access to clean water sources and improved
sanitation have either deteriorated or slightly
increased. In 2000 under the first indicator only
3.3% of the population had access to the improved
water source, and under the second indicator the
proportion of population having access to improved
sanitation declined by 36,8%. Improving the
situation by 2015 seems hardly possible.”
8. To Develop a Global Partnership for
Development
• Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, nondiscriminatory trading and financial system, Address the
Special Needs of the Least Developed Countries, Deal
comprehensively with the debt problems of developing
countries through national and international measures in
order to make debt sustainable in the long term, develop
co-operation with pharmaceutical companies and Private
sectors.
8. To Develop a Global Partnership for
Development
Guyana:
“Guyana has moved from being a heavily indebted
poor country to one that has achieved debt
sustainability. Its debt profile has improved from
having a stock of external debt worth
approximately US$2.1 billion in 1992 to half that
amount, at US$0.9 billion at the end of 2009. Debt
service payments as a percentage of Government
revenue have also declined from 59 percent
(approximately US$130.1 million in 1998) to 3.8
percent (approximately US$17.7 million) in 2009.
These improvements have expanded the fiscal
space available to the Government to carry out
social and other investments towards the MDGs.
The country remains at moderate risk of debt
distress and is vulnerable to external shocks. In
view of this, Government is very proactive in
maintaining long-term debt sustainability.”
Tajikistan:
“In terms of Goal 8 Develop a global partnership for
development, multidirectional trends can be
observed. The external debt grew by 70% and
crossed the threshold of economic security.
Government spending on pharmaceutical drugs
per capita has decreased by 24.2%. At the same
time, the unemployment rate fell to 3.47 times,
while the number of fixed and mobile phones per
1,000 people has 12.2 times increased.”
Comparison: Guyana is doing really well with
stabilizing their country’s economy. They are able
to now invest in global expansion. Tajikistan’s debt
has grown and the country’s investments in
medicine and the creation of jobs has decreased.
Tajikistan is not likely to meet their 2015 goal while
Guyana is.
Sources
• http://www.undp.tj/site/index.php/en/mdg
• http://www.unicef.org/ceecis/Tajikistan.pdf
• http://www.undp.org.gy/web/index.php?option=com_content
&view=article&id