Philippines' Commitment to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals
In February 2012, President Aquino has reiterated the Philippines’ commitment to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in 2015, and vowed to work double time in order to fulfill the different targets under the MDGs with only 4 years left (“Aquino:PHL...”, 2012).
The Millennium Development Goals, or MDGs, is an effort launched by the United Nations in order to improve the living conditions in different nations, by seeking to battle different social and economic problems such as hunger, poverty, violence, and other deprivations. Signed upon by all 193 UN member states in September 2000, the Millennium Development Goals comprise eight (8) development goals that each member-constituent must fulfill in 15 years, which is in 2015. The goals are: (1) eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, (2) achieving universal primary education, (3) promoting gender equality and empowering women, (4) reducing child mortality, (5) improving maternal health, (6) combatting HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, (7) ensuring environmental sustainability, (8) developing a global partnership for development. ( UNDP website, retrieved August 2012. )
Aside from the perennial problems of battling poverty and eradicating different epidemics, the 5th goal, improving maternal health, remains an underlooked but equally pressing concern in the country. In a 2011 report by the Department of Health (“Philippines ranks 48...”, 2010) , not only has the Philippines failed to improve the maternal mortality ratio (MMR), but the figure of mothers dying during childbirth has even ballooned, from 162 deaths in 100,000 live births in 2009, to 221 deaths in 100,000 live births in 2011.
The statistics is definitely alarming, especially when compared to the figures of other nations such as 110 in Thailand, 62 in Malaysia and 14 in Singapore, all in 100,000 live births. The target that we have to reach is 55-60 deaths per 100,000 live births, which is a far cry from where the Philippines stands now.
The Millennium Development Goals, or MDGs, is an effort launched by the United Nations in order to improve the living conditions in different nations, by seeking to battle different social and economic problems such as hunger, poverty, violence, and other deprivations. Signed upon by all 193 UN member states in September 2000, the Millennium Development Goals comprise eight (8) development goals that each member-constituent must fulfill in 15 years, which is in 2015. The goals are: (1) eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, (2) achieving universal primary education, (3) promoting gender equality and empowering women, (4) reducing child mortality, (5) improving maternal health, (6) combatting HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, (7) ensuring environmental sustainability, (8) developing a global partnership for development. ( UNDP website, retrieved August 2012. )
Aside from the perennial problems of battling poverty and eradicating different epidemics, the 5th goal, improving maternal health, remains an underlooked but equally pressing concern in the country. In a 2011 report by the Department of Health (“Philippines ranks 48...”, 2010) , not only has the Philippines failed to improve the maternal mortality ratio (MMR), but the figure of mothers dying during childbirth has even ballooned, from 162 deaths in 100,000 live births in 2009, to 221 deaths in 100,000 live births in 2011.
The statistics is definitely alarming, especially when compared to the figures of other nations such as 110 in Thailand, 62 in Malaysia and 14 in Singapore, all in 100,000 live births. The target that we have to reach is 55-60 deaths per 100,000 live births, which is a far cry from where the Philippines stands now.