Nauru launches first MDGs Report

Nauru launches first MDGs Report

30 October 2012 (Nauru) – For one of the world’s smallest countries, beset by many challenges, Nauru has been congratulated for releasing its first Nauru Progress Report 1990-2011. The report documents the progress made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), highlighting Nauru’s achievements in universal basic education, reducing maternal mortality, providing universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS, halting and reversing the spread of tuberculosis, providing access to essential drugs, and making the benefits of new technology more accessible to all.

The Report, launched last week, highlights that there is potential to accelerate progress in terms of reducing child mortality and improving access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. More focused interventions are required in terms of promoting gender equality in leadership positions, improving access to reproductive health care, reducing the prevalence of non-communicable diseases, reducing biodiversity loss and dealing comprehensively with debt problems to make debt more sustainable in the long term.

The recommendations proposed in the Report include: implementing sustainable income generating opportunities and adequate social protection services for the poor and vulnerable; including creating an enabling environment for girls, youths, and women’s participation in the local market economy, greater attention on neo-natal health and improving education on reproductive health including family planning, promoting regular exercise and healthy nutrition; as well as establishing and maintaining the necessary foundations for good governance across all levels of decision making.

The United Nations Resident Coordinator and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative, Knut Ostby sent a congratulatory message for the launch. “In the context of Nauru, it is encouraging to note that the MDGs have been embedded in the revised National Sustainable Development Strategy as key development priorities for Nauru,” said Mr Ostby in the message which was delivered on his behalf by UNDP’s Environment Analyst, Emma Mario.

“Improving the quality and availability of data is important for developing effective policies to advance towards the MDGs. Costing of the required MDG related programmes in the form of Medium Term Budgeting Frameworks is another crucial element. This requires adequate capacity to plan, cost and resource the development process around short and longer-term targets. A focus on pro-poor and gender sensitive policy formulation and budgeting is essential to ensure that those at the lower end of the social strata are suitably targeted.”

Mr Ostby’s message also acknowledged the guidance and contributions provided by the National MDG Taskforce as well as from government departments, non-state actors, the private sector, UN agencies and other development partners which has added much value to the analysis of MDG progress, challenges and recommendations for the way forward.

The report Nauru Progress Report 1990-2011 can be accessed here.

ENDS

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