World leaders gathered at the UN Millennium Summit in 2000 and signed the UN Millennium

Declaration. This document is the foundation for the MDGs, a set of 8 measurable goals for 2015
focused on improving human conditions around the globe.
The essence or rather aim of this paper is to elucidate what achievements Zambia has made
towards the attainment of the 8 MDGs. The paper will give a summary of how Zambia has
progressed on each of the 8 MDGs and also illustrate how each of the MDGs are linked to
poverty reduction. The paper will begin with brief explanation of the subject matter; the
millennium development goals, then go on to a detailed discussion of the subject matter in
relation to how Zambia has progressed towards their attainment and how each of them are linked
to poverty reduction and in the end a conclusion will be drawn.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight international development goals that
were established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000, following the
adoption of the United Nations Millennium Declaration. All 189 United Nations member states
at the time (there are 193 currently), and at least 23 international organizations, committed to
help achieve the following Millennium Development Goals by 2015:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

To eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

To achieve universal primary education
To promote gender equality and empower women
To reduce child mortality
To improve maternal health
To combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
To ensure environmental sustainability
To develop a global partnership for development

Each goal has specific targets, and dates for achieving those targets. To accelerate progress, the
G8 finance ministers agreed in June 2005 to provide enough funds to the World Bank, the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) to cancel $40 to
$55 billion in debt owed by members of the heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) to allow
them to redirect resources to programs for improving health and education and for alleviating
poverty.
Critics of the MDGs complained of a lack of analysis and justification behind the chosen
objectives, and the difficulty or lack of measurements for some goals and uneven progress,
among others. Although developed countries' aid for achieving the MDGs rose during the

challenge period, more than half went for debt relief and much of the remainder going towards
natural disaster relief and military aid, rather than further development.
As of 2013, progress towards the goals was uneven. Some countries achieved many goals, while
others were not on track to realize any. A UN conference in September 2010 reviewed progress
to date and concluded with the adoption of a global plan to achieve the eight goals by their target
date. New commitments targeted women's and children's health, and new initiatives in the
worldwide battle against poverty, hunger and disease.
Among the non-governmental organizations assisting were the United Nations Millennium
Campaign, the Millennium Promise Alliance, Inc., the Global Poverty Project, the Micah
Challenge, The Youth in Action EU Programme, "Cartoons in Action" video project and the 8
Visions of Hope global art project.
During the period 2006-2010, Zambia made significant progress towards meeting the eight
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) particularly in primary school enrollment, child
malnutrition and the fight against malaria. However the country will have to make further effort
to reduce poverty and maternal mortality, prevent new HIV infections, ensure that children
complete secondary school, increase access to clean water and sanitation, and safeguard
sustainable environmental development.

Overall positive economic growth rates are not

reflected in the efforts to reduce poverty reduction nor in addressing inequalities, which remain
especially high in rural areas.

The 2013 Millennium Development Goals Report for Zambia provided an opportunity for the
country to reflect upon and assess its progress towards achieving the eight Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs). With the 2015 deadline approaching, Zambias progress on many
of the MDG targets is encouraging. Nonetheless, the country is still confronted by challenges
that hold back key policy and institutional reforms, and consequently the overall pace of
implementation. Issues of policy direction and consistency, as well as institutional capacities to
deliver, must therefore underpin efforts to both accelerate and widen progress. In this regard,
particular attention must be paid to lessons learnt as well as interventions required to fast-track
the attainment of the MDGs in Zambia.

The 2013 report therefore identified selected triggers for acceleration that would help gain
ground as well as sustain progress achieved so far for the MDGs. These triggers were identified
based on available data and trend analysis, a review of ongoing national policies and
programmes, and lessons learnt at both national and global level. It is important to point out that
many targets have seen movement in the right direction. Gains have been made for HIV and TB
prevalence, underweight children, and gender equality in primary school. In some areas,
however, the pace of improvement has been slow. Yet with political commitment and the right
policy and investment choices, the pace can be accelerated dramatically before 2015.

Other targets have seen some reversal, including those for improved sanitation, some areas of
environmental sustainability, and gender equality in political representation. Here, there is a need
for special measures. Finally, MDG targets per se do not take into consideration some of the
underlying causes of lack of progress. These causal factors, which drive poverty, inequality,
unsustainability and non inclusive development, are the cornerstones of the United Nations
Millennium Declaration, which set out the foundation for the MDGs. If these factors are not
addressed, achieving the MDG targets becomes a hollow victory.

The following is how zambia has progressed towards the attainment of each of the 8 millennium
development goals:

MDG 1: Extreme poverty is decreasing but at a very slow pace Extreme poverty has reduced
from 58 percent in 1991 to 42.3 percent in 2010. However, Zambia is still far from reaching the
MDG goal of 29 percent by 2015. Yet, the past twenty years have seen improvements, and the
depth of poverty in urban areas has diminished: Copperbelt Province has already reached its
MDG target, and Lusaka Province is very close to doing the same. In contrast, the rural
provinces of Luapula, Western, Eastern and Northern remain very distant from their goals.
Deliberate efforts to bring these outlying provinces back on track will be needed. Zambia, with a
Gini coefficient of 0.65, is among the most unequal countries of the world today. Specific
attention to these growing disparities must be high on the agenda of policy makers.
Despite Zambias impressive macroeconomic performance over the last decade, it has had little
impact on extreme poverty, as acknowledged by the countrys Sixth National Development Plan
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(2011-2015). Ensuring that economic growth is accompanied by rapid poverty reduction is

therefore a key focus of both government and its development partners. As extreme poverty and
inequality is particularly pronounced in rural areas, focus is on how to accelerate reduction of
poverty and inequality in rural Zambia, largely drawing on international experiences outlined in
the global MDG Report 2012: Assessing Progress in Africa toward the Millennium Development
Goals.
Rural areas have suffered chronic lack of investment in infrastructure and services both hard
(roads, energy and ICT) and soft (skills, health and markets). Specific policies to promote
inclusive growth, with a particular focus on agriculture and the informal sector, have the
potential to improve the growth elasticity of poverty. Countries such as China, Brazil and
Ethiopia have succeeded in reducing rural poverty through implementing a wide range of propoor programmes to improve agricultural technologies, expand agricultural extension services,
commercialize smallholder agriculture, develop rural infrastructure and to enhance access to
social protection especially through programmes for productive safety nets and provision of
credit.
The current pace of poverty reduction in Zambia is too slow for the country to achieve MDG
target 1.A. The proportion of people living in extreme poverty has decreased from 58 percent in
1991 to 42.3 percent in 2010. This took 19 years. In addition, the pace has slowed down in recent
years. Extreme poverty has reduced by only 0.5 percentage points in the 4 years from 2006 to
2010. Yet, it will have to decline by 13.3 percentage points in the 5 years from 2010 and 2015 to
attain the MDG target. Specific accelerators are therefore required in the form of policy changes
and targeted rural investments.
MDG 2: Universal primary education is within reach Zambia has made steady progress on
primary school enrolment, which has increased from 80 percent in 1990 to 93.7 percent in 2010.
The improvement can be linked to the boost in primary education infrastructure and the
introduction of free education. Similarly, progress has been made in improving primary school
completion rates. The proportion of pupils reaching Grade 7 has increased from 64 percent in
1990 to 90.9 percent in 2010. Disaggregation by sex shows that the improvement was higher for
girls. How ever, concerns remain on the quality of education received, as well as the enrolment
and completion rates in secondary school subsequently.

By improving its primary school enrolment and completion, Zambia has encountered a new
challenge: How to ensure that its primary education is of a quality high enough for pupils to
progress through secondary education. In addition, the country is faced with the issue of equal
access for girls and boys at secondary and tertiary levels of education.
MDG 3: Gender equality and the empowerment of women require special measures The good
news is that Zambia is on track to achieve gender parity in primary school enrolment as well as
in literacy among 15-24-year olds.The Programme for Advancement of Girls Education
introduced in 1994 has provided effective advocacy and support in this regard. However,
accelerated intervention is required if gender parity is to be achieved in secondary and tertiary
education. In addition, the country has moved backwards on womens participation in
government in both local councils (6 percent) and parliament (11 percent). Zambia will have to
introduce special measures to even come close to the MDG target of 30 percent women in
parliament or the AU/SADC target of 50 percent.
Despite awareness-raising and other interventions to promote gender equality, Zambia has not
focused sufficiently on addressing the underlying causes of womens economic, social and
political marginalization. Waiting for the pervasive cultural norms and discriminatory attitudes to
change is a wait too long. Zambia needs to actively advance policies and laws that reinforce
gender parity and equality in access to education, labour market, public services and political
representation. Many countries within the region and in other parts of the world have shown that
affirmative action initiatives are needed to correct for age-old biases and behaviours in order to
provide a level playing field for girls and boys, women and men
MDG 4: Child mortality remains high Child mortality has declined by almost 30 percent since
1992, but is still unacceptable high. The mortality rate of children under five dropped from 190.7
deaths per 1,000 live births in 1992 to 137.6 per 1000 live births in 2010. Similarly, the mortality
rate for infants (death before first birthday) reduced from 107.2 deaths per 1,000 live births in
1992 to 76.2 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2010. Progress in reducing child mortality has been
brought about by increases in immunization coverage, exclusive breast-feeding, vitamin and
mineral supplementation, and malaria prevention and treatment. These and other interventions
must be sustained and accelerated if this goal is to be met by 2015.

The observed declines in child mortality rates in Zambia are insufficient to reach MDG target
4.A. Under-five mortality dropped from 190.7 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1992 to 137.6
deaths per 1,000 live births in 2010, while infant mortality (death before a childs first birthday)
reduced from 107.2 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1992 to 76.2 deaths per 1,000 live births in
2010.
Will target 4.A be achieved under the present trend? Significant reforms and investments
required. One-Year-Olds Measles Immunized Sources: Mortality rates from CSO (1992-2007
from ZDHS and 2010 from LCMS) and immunization from MOH Child mortality has declined
by almost 30% in the past two decades. Yet, 1 in 8 children die before they turn 5 years. MDG 4
Child Health Similarly, neonatal mortality (deaths during the first 28 days after birth) has
according to UNICEF reduced from 43 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 27 deaths in 2012.
MDG 5: Improving maternal health requires renewed emphasis Thirty-eight mothers die each
month due to complications of pregnancy or childbirth. Although maternal mortality in Zambia
has been falling, the decline is insufficient to reach the 2015 target of 162.3 deaths per 100,000
live births. The number of women dying during pregnancy and childbirth has decreased from 649
per 100,000 live births in 1997 to 483 in 2010. Interventions that have been successful, and need
to be scaled up, include improved use of contraception for birth spacing, prevention of early
marriages, improved referral systems and provision of and access to emergency obstetric care,
and the deployment of more trained midwives and birth attendants. Investing in mothers
education and nutritional status has a direct impact on the health and well-being of children and
households.
Efforts to decrease maternal mortality cannot be undertaken in isolation, as it is closely linked to
other MDG indicators such as mothers education, nutrition and diseases such as HIV & AIDS
and tuberculosis. An aggressive effort to reduce maternal mortality should include efforts by
government and its partners.
MDG 6: Gains on HIV & AIDS, malaria and other major diseases must not be lost The number
of Zambians infected with HIV has dropped to 14.3 percent of the population. Zambia has
therefore already achieved and surpassed the MDG target for HIV prevalence of 15.6 percent.
However, prevalence rates in Lusaka, Copperbelt, Southern and Western Provinces remain
higher than 14.3 percent. This is of particular concern in Lusaka due to its high population. In

addition, HIV incidence (new infections) remains high throughout Zambia, and is alarmingly on
the rise among young people. Therefore, the focus must be redirected to prevention, including
intensifying prevention of mother-to-child transmission, male circumcision, voluntary
counselling and testing, and ART as a preventative measure.
The fact that HIV incidence is consistently higher in women than in men demonstrates that the
underlying causes of income and gender inequality need to be addressed as well. Concerns are
also raised with regards to the sustainability of the response, as cooperating partners fund
approximately 87 percent of HIV&AIDS interventions.39 The move to a sustainable model of
domestic financing for HIV & AIDS is a necessary national priority. Zambia made significant
gains in malaria control and prevention up until 2009. However, the drop-off in resources in the
health sector has resulted in a reversal of these gains in recent years. With malaria, one cannot
take a time-out. Given the weather patterns and eco-systems in Zambia, continuous attention is
required to combat malaria.
The malaria fatality rate is of particular concern in this regard, as it remains over three times the
target. Today, three children die every day of malaria. The distribution and effective use of ITNs
and indoor residual spraying must continue. While there has been a concerted effort to treat TB
and other infectious diseases, of growing concern in Zambia today is non-communicable
diseases. Mortality and loss of productivity due to heart disease, diabetes and hypertension are on
the rise, and constitute the next big health challenge the country faces.
Despite the reported challenges, Zambia is poised to attain MDG 6, as long as the country
consolidates its past gains for malaria prevention and control. In this regard, government and its
partners need to promote high-impact interventions, which are targeted at breaking the
transmission chain. They also have to intensify their efforts towards achieving universal
coverage for malaria testing, treatment and preventive tools (ITNs/IRS).
MDG 7: Gaining lost ground on environmental sustainability Land covered by forests in Zambia
reduced from 59.8 percent in 1990 to 49.9 percent in 2010. This decline stems from overexploitation through logging for wood fuel and encroachment for agriculture and settlements.
There have been recent efforts to stem this tide, including a national tree planting campaign and a
temporary ban on timber export, as well as integrated land use assessment and reclassification of
protected areas. These efforts will help regenerate both flora and fauna and protect the

ecosystems and biodiversity under threat in Zambia. As it takes time for trees and species to
mature, this is a legacy for generations to come, and this MDG will underpin the issue of
sustainability for a post- 2015 vision for Zambia. Zambia has observed improvements in the
provision of clean water:
The proportion of the population without access to an improved water source has decreased from
51 percent in 1990 to 36.9 percent in 2010. However, the proportion of the population without
access to improved sanitation facilities is not getting any better. On the contrary, it worsened
from 26 percent in 1991 to 67.3 percent in 2010. Zambia is therefore well off track to achieve the
MDG target of 13 percent by 2015. This disturbing trend is partly explained by the increase in
informal human settlements without basic sanitation facilities, the high cost of sanitation
infrastructure and the low returns to these investments for the private sector, especially in rural
areas, partly by a methodology change. The need for public engagement and state action in this
area is of paramount importance. Massive sanitation infrastructure investments and social
campaigns on healthy sanitary behaviour can turn around this trend. Poor sanitation is the
breeding ground for day-to-day ill health, low productivity and large epidemics that destroy
communities.
A sustainable development approach, based on sound long-term environmental management,
requires a level of institutional coordination among national authorities that is hard to come by. It
requires clear definition of roles and responsibilities, coupled with harmonization of laws and
policies, to ensure that Zambias natural resources are managed for the benefit of both current
and future generations. While public-private partnerships have demonstrated their efficacy in
other countries, a central oversight authority is vital. This would entail equipping the Zambia
Environmental Management Agency with the necessary scope and capacity.
The adoption of the National Policy on Environment in 2011 by government is a good move
towards addressing environmental issues. The policy provides a framework for environmental
protection and management of natural resources on a sustainable basis. It is premised on the fact
that a country can grow, create jobs and reduce poverty, without doing undue damage to its
environment. In fact, countries that have implemented sustainable development strategies over a
long period of time have demonstrated that wise management of natural resources leads to a

healthier and more prosperous country, with a greener and cleaner growth trajectory for the
benefit of all.
MDG 8: An evolving global partnership for development as Zambia transitions to a middleincome country Zambia has implemented reforms since the 1990s that have seen the
development of a fairly open, rule-based, predictable and non-discriminatory trading and
financial system. These reforms have among other things seen the country obtain debt relief.
This coupled with a global rise in copper prices has increased the countrys fiscal space.
Zambia has also graduated from a low-income to a lower middle-income country, which means
the country now has less access to concessional lending and overseas development assistance.
The latter is therefore expected to remain below 5 percent of GDP in the remaining years to
2015. Instead, Zambia is turning more and more to international financial markets. In addition,
the country has succeeded in attracting increasing inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI),
peaking at $1.73 billion in 2010, although inflows have fallen since then. Most of the FDI in
2010 went into the mining sector, and copper remains the main source of export earnings,
accounting for about 65 percent of total exports. Yet, non-traditional exports are growing as well.
In fact, Zambias external trade has grown extensively since the early 1990s in response to
globalization, with many more products being exported today.
Zambia has fared fairly well on MDG 8. However the absence of specific 2015 targets for this
goal makes it rather complicated to attach any conclusive analysis on the countrys progress
towards 2015. In this regard, it is important to suggest that, although there are only three years to
go before 2015, the country develops targets for this important goal. Suggested triggers for
acceleration focus on increasing Zambias participation and competitiveness in regional and
global markets, and on establishing a firmly grounded and consistent set of economic policies for
inclusive growth.
Having established the progress Zambia has made on each of the 8 MDGs its also Important to
illustrate how the MDGs are linked to poverty reduction. The following will explain how the 8
MDGs are linked to poverty reduction:
MDG 1: To eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, is directly linked to poverty reduction and this
is clearly seen just as it is stated. Children who are malnourished when they reach their second
birthday could suffer permanent physical and cognitive damage, thereby affecting their future
9

health, welfare, and economic well-being. For developing countries, the impact on their ability to
raise a productive workforce can last for generations, while in the shorter term rising food prices
can exacerbate inequality and lead to conflict and political instability.
A hungry labour force is neither effective nor productive therefore hunger is not good for the
economy. poverty implies lack of proper means to live a viable life. This means lack of proper
access to basic needs such as shelter, food, clothing, security, health, water and sanitation and
also education. All these are necessary as shelter helps one to have proper rest; a workers need to
be well rested for them for the to perform well, they also need to feel safe, have a nutritious
meal, acquire knowledge through education and they also need to be of good health for the to be
productive and effective.
The poverty milestone has not yet been met in much of Africa and South Asia, however. More
than a billion people worldwide still live in extreme poverty, and many more experience hunger
and are vulnerable to environmental or price shocks. Undernutrition remains one of the worlds
most serious but least addressed public health challenges. Nearly one-third of children in
developing countries are underweight or stunted (low height for age), and undernutrition
contributes to one-third of all child deaths. The World Bank Group is working with the
international community to end extreme poverty in a generation and boost incomes for the
bottom 40% in each country. With food security a vital part of this effort, the Bank Group is
boosting agriculture financing to $8-10 billion a year and is working in multiple ways to build
agricultural productivity and resilience to climate change.

MDG 2: Since 1990, although rates have been cut in half, 21% of the worlds population still
lives in extreme poverty. It is vital to step up efforts to give these people a better chance of a
decent and fulfilling life. Education has a central role to play in such efforts.
The EFA Global Monitoring Report Education Transforms booklet shows that education not only
helps individuals escape poverty by developing the skills they need to improve their livelihoods,
but also generates productivity gains that fuel economic growth. While growth does not
automatically reduce poverty, without it sustained poverty reduction is not possible.

10

Our recent analysis, released at the United Nation General Assembly last month, shows that for
growth to reduce poverty, it needs to overcome inequality by improving the lives of the poorest
and marginalized the most. Education is vital to achieve this goal because it can help ensure that
the benefits of growth are fairly shared.
Expanding access to education alone is not enough, however. Equitable learning for all is key to
shared national prosperity for all. Globally, over 40 years, income per capita would be 23%
higher in a country with more equal education. If education inequality in sub-Saharan Africa had
been halved, to the level of Latin America and the Caribbean, for example, its economic growth
over 20052010 would have been 47% higher.
By building a skilled workforce, education can promote a country from one economic bracket to
the next. If all students in low income countries left school with basic reading skills, we could
eradicate 12% of world poverty. As such, it is an essential investment.
Evidence from the EFA Global Monitoring Report shows that for every US$1 spent on
education, between US$10 and US$15 would be generated in economic growth. The EFA Global
Monitoring Report Education Transforms booklet shows that education not only helps
individuals escape poverty by developing the skills they need to improve their livelihoods, but
also generates productivity gains that fuel economic growth. While growth does not
automatically reduce poverty, without it sustained poverty reduction is not possible.
Our recent analysis, released at the United Nation General Assembly last month, shows that for
growth to reduce poverty, it needs to overcome inequality by improving the lives of the poorest
and marginalized the most. Education is vital to achieve this goal because it can help ensure that
the benefits of growth are fairly shared.
Expanding access to education alone is not enough, however. Equitable learning for all is key to
shared national prosperity for all. Globally, over 40 years, income per capita would be 23%
higher in a country with more equal education. If education inequality in sub-Saharan Africa had
been halved, to the level of Latin America and the Caribbean, for example, its economic growth
over 20052010 would have been 47% higher.
11

By building a skilled workforce, education can promote a country from one economic bracket to
the next. If all students in low income countries left school with basic reading skills, we could
eradicate 12% of world poverty. As such, it is an essential investment.
Skills are the key way in which education reduces poverty. Education makes it more likely for
men and women not just to be employed, but to hold jobs that are more secure and provide good
working conditions and decent pay. In so doing, education can not only help lift households out
of poverty, but also guard against them falling or falling back into poverty.
In Jordan, 25% of women with only primary education who live in rural areas work for no pay,
for example, compared with 7% of those with a secondary education. In El Salvador, only 5% of
working adults with less than primary education have an employment contract, compared with
47% of working adults with secondary education.
And, just as education plays its role in helping eradicate poverty, progress in fighting poverty is
inextricably linked with progress in achieving education for all. The direct costs of sending
children to school, as well as the indirect costs of losing a source of labour, can be formidable for
poor parents. As a consequence, not only are poor children less likely to enrol in primary school,
but those who do so are more likely to drop out. This disadvantage results in children from poor
households being over three times more likely to be out of school than children from rich
households. Low quality education reinforces this problem, as parents are less willing to bear
those costs if they cannot see the benefits of education.
MDG 3 : Many of the world's poorest people are women who must, as the primary family
caretakers and producers of food, shoulder the burden of tilling land, grinding grain, carrying
water and cooking. This is no easy burden. In Kenya, women can burn up to 85 percent of their
daily calorie intake just fetching water.

Yet some 75 percent of the world's women cannot get bank loans because they have unpaid or
insecure jobs and are not entitled to property ownership. This is one reason why women
comprise more than 50 percent of the world's population but own only one percent of the world's
wealth.
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Equality between men and women is more than a matter of social justice - it's a fundamental
human right. But gender equality also makes good economic sense. When women have equal
access to education, and go on to participate fully in business and economic decision-making,
they are a key driving force against poverty. Women with equal rights are better educated,
healthier, and have greater access to land, jobs and financial resources. Their increased earning
power in turn raises household incomes. By enhancing women's control over decision-making in
the household, gender equality also translates into better prospects and greater well-being of
children, reducing poverty of future generations.

Gender equality and women's empowerment is central to achieving the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs). Gender equality is a condition for inclusive, democratic, violence-free and
sustainable development. This is why UNDP works collaboratively with national partners to:

Include women in planning, budgeting, and policy-making processes in a

meaningful way;
Promote women's and girls' economic rights and opportunities;
Address the gender dimensions of HIV and AIDS;
Strengthen the collection and analysis of gender-disaggregated data;
Ensure that essential public services like health and education, benefit
women, men, girls and boys equitably.

MDGs 4, 5 and 6: To reduce child mortality, To improve maternal health and To combat
HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases are interconnected because they are all related to health
care therefore the way they are linked to poverty reduction may not be exactly the same but is
quite similar, so they will be related to poverty reduction together as lack of proper health care.

Health is central to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and three
goals relate specifically to health issues: those concerned with reducing child mortality,
improving maternal health, and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.

13

The MDGs have successfully focused attention on the plight of the world's poorest children and
mothers, and on some infectious disease epidemics. lack of proper health care - the major cause
of death in almost all countries - have not been included within the global targets; although as a
recent WHO publication on health and the MDGs has recognized, there is scope for doing so
within Goal 6 (Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases). Health more broadly, including
chronic disease prevention, contributes to poverty reduction and hence Goal 1 (Eradicate
extreme poverty and hunger).

lack of proper health care in relation to child mortality, maternal health, HIV/AIDS, malaria
and other diseases and poverty are interconnected in a vicious cycle. In almost all countries, it
is the poorest people who are most at risk of developing chronic diseases and dying
prematurely from them. Poor people are more vulnerable for several reasons, including
greater exposure to risks and decreased access to health services.
The lack of proper health care burden is concentrated among the poor.
Poor people are more vulnerable for several reasons, including increased
exposure to risks and decreased access to health services.
lack of proper health care in relation to child mortality, maternal health,
HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases can cause poverty in individuals and families,
and draw them into a downward spiral of worsening disease and poverty.
Investment in health care programmes is essential for many low and middle
income countries struggling to reduce poverty.
Poverty and worsening of already existing poverty are also caused by lack of proper health
care. Once again, it is people and families who are already poor who are most likely to suffer,
because chronic diseases are likely to ruin a familys economic prospects.
The poor are more vulnerable to lack of proper health care because of material deprivation
and psychosocial stress, higher levels of risk behaviour, unhealthy living conditions and
limited access to good-quality health care (see sidebar figure on the next page). Once disease
is established, poor people are more likely to suffer adverse consequences than wealthier
people. This is especially true of women, as they are often more vulnerable to the effects of
social inequality and poverty, and less able to access resources.

14

An important cause of poverty in low and middle income countries is the death or severe
illness of a family's primary income earner. Out of 125 case studies summarized in the World
Bank's publication Voices of the poor crying out for change, illness, injury or death was the
most common trigger of households' impoverishment. In Bangladesh, for example, of those
households that moved into the status "always poor", all reported death or severe disabling
diseases as one of the main causes.
lack of proper health care inflict an enormous direct and indirect economic burden on the
poor, and push many people and their families into poverty. Existing knowledge
underestimates the implications of lack of proper health care for poverty and the potential that
chronic disease prevention and health promotion have for alleviating poverty in low and
middle income countries.The death or illness of adults from chronic disease can lead to the
impoverishment of their children. To compensate for the lost productivity of a sick or disabled
adult, children are often removed from school; this deprives them of the opportunity to study
and gain qualifications.
lack of proper health care pose a significant threat to earnings and wage rates. People with
chronic diseases in the Russian Federation, for example, retire earlier than those without, this
effect being strongest for people in the lowest income groups. Chronic disease also affects the
economic well-being of families, contributing to annual losses as high as 6% per capita
average income. Investing in adult health could bring tangible economic returns, both for
individuals and for the economic development of the country as a whole.
MDG 7: To ensure environmental sustainability, is aimed at helping countries to
simultaneously achieve sustainable development and reduce poverty that leads to
transformational change, bringing about real improvements in peoples lives. it promotes an
integrated approach to achieve sustainable development that tackle the connected issues of
multidimensional poverty, inequality and exclusion, and sustainability, while enhancing
knowledge, skills and production technologies to reduce risks and sustain development gains.
it also helps countries to build their capacity to integrate environmental considerations into
development plans and strategies, including through managing and sustainably using natural

15

resources; ensuring that natural wealth is used to improve peoples lives; promoting economic
recovery and livelihoods, and better targeting policies and social protection for those in need.
Poverty can be divided into extreme (when households cannot meet basic needs for survival),
moderate (in which basic needs are barely met), and relative poverty (in which household
income is less than a proportion of average national income). All of these poverty types can
be addressed by sustainable development. Poverty is found in every country, but unlike
moderate and relative poverty, extreme poverty occurs mainly in low income countries.
MDG 8: To develop a global partnership for development: Develop a Global Partnership for
Development is the eighth and final Millennium Development Goal (MDG).
The Millennium Goals as a whole represent a global partnership for development. The deal
makes it clear that it is the main burdens lies on poor countries to work towards achieving the
first seven Goals. They must do their part to ensure greater responsibility and efficient use of
resources. However, for poorer countries to achieve the first seven Goals, it is vital that richer
countries deliver on their end of the bargain with more effective aid, more sustainable debt
relief and fairer trade rules, well in advance of 2015.
The key aims of this goal are to achieve the following points by 2015:
Develop further an open trading and financial system that doesnt discriminate.
This includes a commitment to good governance, development and poverty reduction
both nationally and internationally.
Address the least developed countries special needs. This includes free access for
their exports; debt relief for poor countries in the worst debt; cancellation of official joint
debt; and more generous official development assistance for countries committed to
reduce poverty.
Deal with developing countries debt problems through national and international
measures to make debt sustainable in the long term.
In cooperation with the developing countries, develop decent and productive work
for youth.
Provide access to affordable essential drugs in developing countries.

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 In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new
technologies - especially information and communications technologies.
To reach Goal 8, developing countries need to be able to trade internationally
under an open and fair system.
Those countries also need more aid from richer countries to reduce poverty, as
well as help with their debts.
In conclusion, this paper has reflected on Zambias progress towards the achievement of its
MDG targets and showed how the 8 MDGs are linked to poverty reduction. The paper shows that
particular focus must be paid to the areas of secondary education (MDG 2), reducing child and
maternal mortality (MDGs 4 and 5), and ensuring environmental sustainability (MDG 7).
Although improvements have been registered in these goals, they remain insufficient to achieve
the 2015 targets. In addition, improvements on these targets are closely linked to eradicating
extreme poverty and hunger (MDG 1), which has remained stubbornly resistant to significant
change in Zambia. Zambia has made significant progress in reversing the spread of HIV&AIDS,
malaria and other major diseases (MDG 6), as long as the country consolidates its past gains in
malaria prevention and control. However, while Zambia has reached its target for HIV
prevalence, its HIV incidence remains very high. This emphasizes the need to address significant
income and gender inequalities (MDG 3). Overall, the paper notes the countrys remarkable
progress over the past decades in achieving certain targets but emphasizes the need to sustain
these gains, while greater policy focus and investments are required to improve progress on other
targets.
It is worth remembering that progress does not necessarily follow a linear trajectory. Initial gains,
which can be achieved fairly rapidly, must be supported by a longer and harder push to
consolidate them. These efforts require increased resources as well as institutional, policy and
legal reforms. Zambia is part of the global move to define a development framework beyond
2015, as efforts to further human development will continue unabated.

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United Nations. 2006. "The Millennium Development Goals Report: 2006." United Nations
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World

Bank

Madagascar

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Brief.

Available

at:http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/AFRICAEXT/MADAGASC
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