Disclosure Unicef's “Progress for Children” Report
25/8/15
On
June 23, 2015, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) released a report on "Progress
for Children", highlighting the lessons learned from the Millennium
Development Goals (MDG). According to the report, the international community will
ignore the development of millions of children without focusing attention to
the most disadvantaged children in the roadmap in 15 years.
The
report highlighted the important achievements achieved from 1990. That is, the
percentage of children under age 5 mortality has dropped by more than half,
from 90 children per 1,000 live births to 43 per 1000; the proportion of
underweight children under 5 years decreased by 42% and chronic malnutrition
dropped 41%; Maternal mortality rate during childbirth decreased by 45%; ...
Although
the world has made significant achievements in the protection, care and
education for children, due to enjoyment of different opportunities, millions
of children do not benefit from the progress that the world has achieved. They still
have to live in poverty, do not attend school, to be in chronic malnutrition or
mortality when less than 5 years old.
Inequality
in the countries has led to the situation of under-five-year-old-children in
the poorest households to be at risk of death in double and the ability to read
is much lower in comparison with children in the families with better
conditions.
The
report also highlighted the shortcomings in the protection and care of children
as followed: Almost 6 million children are dead every year when less than 5
years old; 289,000 women die each year during childbirth and 58 million
children are not in school right from the primary level. If this situation
continues, the consequences will be extremely serious. With the progress and
growth of the population today, it is estimated that by 2030, there will be 68
million children under age 5 die of these causes which can be prevented;
approximately 119 million children with chronic malnutrition. It takes nearly
100 years for all girls in the poorest families in the neighborhood-Saharan
Africa to have chance to finish junior high school.
According
to UNICEF, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) should focus on the most
disadvantaged children. The more efficient collection and analysis of data can
help identify the most vulnerable and most isolated groups of children. If health
care system, education and social protection are improved, they will help many
children to live and develop more comprehensive. These projects designed suitably
with the needs of the most vulnerable children can bring immediate and long-term
benefits.
According
to Mr. Youssouf Abdel-Jelil, UNICEF Representative in Vietnam, Vietnam has
achieved significant progress in the protection, and education of children.
Since 2000, mortality in children under age 5 has fallen by a half (from 39 to
20 children per 1,000 live births - much lower than the average level of the
world today), stunting children have fallen by one third (from 36% to 25%) and
the proportion of people get access to clean water has increased from 78% to
92%.
However,
Vietnam still has difficulties to overcome. Only 30% of women of ethnic
minority health was assisted in childbirth in comparison with 99% of women in
urban areas. Recent figures show that, every five children in the age of 5-17,
one child has to participate in labor. This percentage is higher in the North
Central region and mountainous areas (36.2%) and Highlands (25%).
Mr.
Youssouf Abdel-Jelil said: "We have the responsibility to apply these
lessons to children who have not benefited from the Millennium Development
Goals. Only then, these children will live in a better life and to contribute
to a better future for Vietnam.
All comments [ 10 ]
While collective efforts to achieve those goals have yielded significant gains worldwide, millions of the world’s most vulnerable children still need to be reached.
Achievements include more children surviving past their fifth birthdays, fewer cases of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, improvements in child nutrition, higher rates of enrolment in primary school, greater access to clean water and lower rates of extreme poverty.
In the past two decades, 2.6 billion people have gained access to improved sources of drinking water, but progress has not been equally shared. Some 90 per cent of people who still rely on the use of surface water live in rural areas.
Children from the poorest households remain twice as likely as their richest peers to die before reaching their fifth birthday.
much more progress is needed to ensure that every child’s right to survival and development is fulfilled.
In the past 25 years, 2.1 billion people have gained access to improved sanitation, but one in seven people around the globe still practises open defecation.
Deprivations during critical stages of development can lead to disadvantage over the course of a lifetime.
with population growth considered, if our rate of progress remains the same, roughly as many children will be out of school in 2030 as there are today.
if we continue at our current rate of progress, there will still be 119 million stunted children by 2030.
Achievements made on a large scale often conceal inequalities that continue to threaten the most vulnerable children. If they are left behind, sustainable progress will not be possible.
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