Progress too slow to meet 2015 development goals: UN

The global economic crisis will likely hamper efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals, which, in part, were already lagging behind the targets, the UN warned in a report released Monday.

Aid to the world's poorest countries was falling short of pledges made by richer states, and the recession would probably cut into assistance budgets further.

The development goals, adopted by the UN in 2000, aim to dramatically reduce poverty and increase food security and access to health care by 2015.

"We have been moving too slowly to meet our goals," wrote UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in the foreword to the report.

He said the economic crisis could delay reaching the targets or even reverse progress already made, as many people sink into poverty and hunger and unemployment rises.

The number of people living in extreme poverty this year - earning less than $1.25 a day - will be 55 to 90 million higher than expected before the crisis.

Moreover, although food prices have fallen significantly from a peak in 2008, this has not translated into affordable food prices for many around the globe. One in four children in the developing world is underweight, the report said.

"Our efforts to restore economic growth should be seen as an opportunity to take some of the hard decisions needed to create a more equitable future," Ban said about recovery plans many governments have adopted.

Sha Zukang, the head of economic and social affairs at the UN, said progress has been "more modest" when it requires structural changes and political commitments, rather than in areas where cash injections produce immediate effects.

Progress was made on reaching a key target of ensuring that all children complete primary school but the world was unlikely to achieve universal access by 2015. Moreover, gender inequality in education was still not uncommon and the developing regions failed to hit parity by the 2005 target date.

In terms of health, mortality rates from tuberculosis were not dropping fast enough to meet the 2015 targets, developing countries were unlikely to reduce child mortality by two-thirds and almost negligible progress was made on decreasing maternal mortality levels in many areas. In addition, donor funding was declining for family planning.

On the bright side, "major progress" has been made on fighting malaria and measles, and the battle against HIV and AIDS was making inroads, with a continuing trend of fewer new infections. However, in Eastern Europe and Central Asia infection rates were on the rise.

The report showed that carbon-dioxide emissions were still climbing and deforestation was only being cut back in small amounts.

Ban said the world must "seal the deal" on a climate change treaty in Copenhagen at the end of the year.

Last updated on Jul 6^th, 2009 at 13:45 pm IST--DPA