“Progress towards the Attainment of MDGs in Bangladesh”

Submitted To
Md. Tanvir Pavel
Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Business
ASA University Bangladesh

Submitted By
Serial No. Name ID No.

1 Tanveer Islam 081-12-0154

2 Rumana Mollik 081-12-0080
3 Reazul Islam 081-12-0137
4 Shaiful Islam 081-12-0142
5 Sumia Sultana 081-12-0118

Date of Submission: 22th October, 2009

 Letter of Transmittal

20th December, 2009

Md. Tanvir Pavel

Lecturer,
Faculty of Business
ASA University Bangladesh.

Subject: Submission of research paper on “Progress towards the attainment of MDGs in

Bangladesh”

Sir,
We would like to inform you that by the grace of almighty Allah we have completed our
research work according to your direction. We have gathered a lot of knowledge by collecting
information to prepare this assignment. We think that, this research work will help us in our
personal, corporate and our student life. We believe that a clear & complete concept about
Progress towards the attainment of MDGs in Bangladesh is so important for every person. So,
lots of thanks to you, for giving such informational research work.

We, therefore, hope that you would kindly accept our research work paper.

Yours Faithfully

MD. Tanveer Islam

On behalf of Group A

Section 3D, 3rd Batch

Faculty of business

ASA University Bangladesh.

 Acknowledgement

At first we would like to thank our honorable course teacher MD. Tanvir Pavel for assigning us
such kind of topic and his co-ordination and supervision for conducting us this assignment.
Special recognition also goes to ASA University for giving us this chance to make this
assignment. This assignment is required for the BBA degree and also for increasing our
knowledge about the progress and the chance of attaining the MDG in Bangladesh.
Progress toward the attainment of MDGs in Bangladesh.
 Abstract

The Millennium Development Goals, set forth in the UN Millennium Declaration 2000, are a set
of quantified and time-bound goals to reduce extreme poverty, disease, and deprivation of the
world’s poorest people. This paper highlights these goals and assesses Bangladesh’s
achievements in the first five years after the adoption of the Declaration and its prospects to
reach the goals by the 2015 deadline. While Bangladesh seems to be on track to achieve some of
the MDGs such as universal primary education and gender parity, the prospects in other areas
appear doubtful. International cooperation in the form of greater aid flows and trade
liberalization by richer nations to allow greater market access for the country’s exports will be
needed to accelerate the country’s economic growth, which is crucial to the attainment of the
MDGs.
Introduction

Millennium Development Goals are made for develop the socio-economic condition. In order to
achieve 8 pre determined targeted progress in poverty, education, health, gender equality,
sustainable environment and strengthening inter country co-ordination for development, the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have been adopted by the United Nations, which
contain a set of development activities agreed upon during a series of global conferences over the
preceding decade.

The MDGs are drawn from the actions and targets contained in the Millennium Declaration that
was adopted by 189 nations-and signed by 147 heads of state and governments during the UN
Millennium Summit in September 2000. The MDGs represent a global partnership that has
grown from the commitments and targets established at the world summits of the 1990s.
Responding to the world's main development challenges and to the calls of civil society, the
MDGs promote poverty reduction, education, maternal health, gender equality, and aim at
combating child mortality, AIDS and other diseases.

Set for the year 2015, the MDGs are an agreed set of goals that can be achieved if all actors work
together and do their part. Poor countries have pledged to govern better, and invest in their
people through health care and education. Rich countries have pledged to support them, through
aid, debt relief, and fairer trade.

Bangladesh is committed to fulfill the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.

Bangladesh’s advancement towards MDGs is evident in human development, for example
attainment of gender parity in primary and secondary school enrolment.

Mid-way through to the 2015 target of MDGs attainment, Bangladesh has covered significant
grounds and can safely be said to be on track in relation to most of the targets. A midterm review
of progress at the aggregate level shows that Bangladesh is making progressive strides in
reducing poverty, already bringing down the poverty gap ratio to 9 against 2015 target of 8 with
the rate of poverty reduction being 1.34 percent in relation to the required rate of 1.23 percent.
With regard to targets such as expansion of primary and secondary education, infant and child
mortality rate, containing the spread and fatality of malaria and tuberculosis, reforestation, access
to safe drinking water and sanitation latrines especially in urban areas, Bangladesh has done
remarkably and may well reach several of these targets before the stipulated time. The country
has already achieved gender parity in primary and secondary education and in the wage
employment in the non-agriculture sector.

However, among the challenges that Bangladesh faces, improving maternal health is a major
concern. Maternal mortality, although currently on track, should be focused on more, particularly
in the backdrop of recent flood and cyclones. The country is also struggling in terms of
maintaining protected areas, specially the wet lands, for bio-diversity. Access to safe drinking
water and sanitary latrines particularly in the rural areas is also an aspect where focus is required.
Yet another challenge that Bangladesh faces is in addressing certain pockets of poverty that are
lagging far behind with respect to the national averages and where the benefits of MDGs
attainment need to be specifically reached. These areas include the urban slums, the hill tracts,
coastal belts and other ecologically vulnerable areas.

Background of the Study

At the Millennium Summit in September 2000 the largest gathering of world leaders in history
adopted the UN Millennium Declaration, committing their nations to a new global partnership to
reduce extreme poverty and setting out a series of time-bound targets, with a deadline of 2015
that have become known as the Millennium Development Goals.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are the world's time-bound and quantified targets
for addressing extreme poverty in its many dimensions-income poverty, hunger, disease, lack of
adequate shelter, and exclusion-while promoting gender equality, education, and environmental
sustainability. They are also basic human rights-the rights of each person on the planet to health,
education, shelter, and security. The nations were interconnected as never before, with increased
globalization promising faster growth, higher living standards and new opportunities. To begin
addressing these crises back in 2000, the convened leaders set down the Millennium Declaration,
a series of collective priorities for peace and security, poverty reduction, the environment and
human rights - essential steps for the advancement of humankind, as well as for the immediate
survival for a significant portion of it. Human development, they agreed, is the key to sustaining
social and economic progress in all countries, as well as contributing to global security.

Scope of study
By this research we can know the objective of MDGs of Bangladesh as well as other country of
the world. We can also know the economic condition of Bangladesh and impact of MDGs
towards it. Achievement and its experience are very much important for remaining work,
because it help us to determine how and what way should be appropriate for remaining work. In
this way we can also learn about our position and we become experience in the real life situation
of MDGs, which will help us to take part to complete the remaining work of MDGs.

Objectives of the Study

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are the expression of the strong commitment to
universal development and poverty eradication made by the International Community in the UN
Millennium Declaration in September 2000. They offer a set of concrete targets that can be used
to assess the integrity of the political commitment made through the Declaration. Their coverage
is quite wide and includes halving world poverty and hunger by 2015, as well as reaching
universal primary education, reducing under-5 and maternal mortality by two thirds, and halving
the number of people without access to safe drinking water. At the same time, the Declaration
called for a new partnership between the developed and the developing countries, determined “to
create an environment – at the national and global levels alike – which is conducive to
development and the elimination of poverty.”

Bangladesh is committed to fulfill the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 and it is
imperative to understand the concept by the mass people. In June 2005, a field survey conducted
by the UNDP Bangladesh communications unit shows that less than 3% people knows about the
MDGs.
We select the topic “Progress toward the attainment of MDGs in Bangladesh.” Bangladesh is
very country but by the Millennium development goal our country can be developed. To know
the process and progress of our country we select the topic.

Methodology
Both qualitative and quantitative methods will be used to conduct this research. The information
will be collected mainly from the secondary sources. As a part of the secondary source, some of
the relevant information will be collected from different sources like article of national (an article
on MDGs, published from BRAC University) and international journals, Books on Quantitative
issues and reports from Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS). Some online
information will be used from different website.

Importance of MDGs
Poverty reduction with the target of reducing poverty by three quarters between 1990 and 2015 is
the Millennium Development Goals. MDGs were set basically for the reduction of poverty of
Bangladesh. So as a poor country MDGs is very important track to reduce the poverty because
MDGs covers the entire development requirement that is needed for a country. If any country
can fulfill the goals of MDG, it can easily say that that country is not a poor country. And as a
rich country, others problems can be easily solved. Bangladesh has already fulfilled some of the
MDGs goals. Bangladesh would be able to fulfill all those goals within 2015 if all sectors are
handled by skilled persons.

An Overview on MDG and its Progress

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight goals to be achieved by 2015 that
respond to the world's main development challenges. The MDGs are drawn from the actions and
targets contained in the Millennium Declaration that was adopted by 189 nations-and signed by
147 heads of state and governments during the UN Millennium Summit in September 2000. As
the global campaign to achieve the Millennium Development Goals gains momentum, the United
Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Bangladesh is working on promoting the goals in a
number of ways. In 2005, the first Bangladesh MDG progress report was launched. The aim of
this report is to help policy makers and other decision makers to understand where Bangladesh
stands in terms of the goals, and what areas need attention in order for the nation to meet these
goals.

Among the eight goals of MDG we select five goals.

Millennium Development Goals

Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose

1. Eradicate
income is less than one dollar a day.
extreme poverty
Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer
and hunger
from hunger

2. Achieve universal Ensure that by 2015 children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be
primary education able to complete a full course of primary schooling

3. Promote gender
Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education,
equality and
preferably by 2005, and to all levels of education no later than 2015
empower women
4. Reduce child
Reduce by two-thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under five
mortality mortality rate
5. Improve
Reduce by three quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal
maternal health mortality ratio.
6. Combat Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS, malaria Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria
and other diseases and other major diseases
Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country
policies and programs and reverse the loss of environmental
7. Ensure
resources. Halve by 2015 the proportion of people without sustainable
environmental
access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. By 2020 to have
sustainability
achieved a significant improvement in lives of at least 100 million
slum dwellers

8. Develop a global Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, nondiscriminatory.

partnership for Trading and financial system. Includes a commitment to good
Development governance, development, and poverty reduction – both nationally and
internationally. Address the special needs of the least developed
countries. This includes: tariff- and quota-free access for least
developed countries’ exports; an enhanced program of debt relief for
HIPC and cancellation of official bilateral debt; and more generous
ODA for countries committed to poverty reduction. Address the
special needs of landlocked countries and small island developing
states (through the Program of Action for the Sustainable
Development of Small Island Developing States and the outcome of
the twenty-second special session of the General Assembly). Deal
comprehensively with the debt problems of developing countries
through national and international measures in order to make debt
sustainable in the long term. In cooperation with developing countries,
develop and implement strategies for decent and productive work for
youth. In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access
to affordable, essential drugs in developing countries. In cooperation
with the private sector, make available the benefits of new
technologies, especially information and communications
From the Eight MDGs goals, we have worked on Five MDGs goals. In the following
the progress of those five MDGs are described.

MDG 1: Eradicating Poverty and Hunger

Bangladesh has made reasonably good progress in its effort at reducing poverty. The decline in
poverty was more rapid in the 1990s than during earlier decades. Poverty reduction in the first
half of the current decade was also somewhat faster than in the 1990s.

Fig: People under national poverty line

MDG 1 Status

Base Target
Current
Goal 1 Targets Indicators Year Year
Status
(1991) (2015)
1. Halve, between 1. Proportion of
1990 and 2015, the population below
proportion of people national poverty line 59% 40% 29%
whose income is less (2221 kcal)
than one dollar a day
Eradicate 2. Halve, between 2. Poverty gap ratio. 17 9 8
extreme 1990 and 2015, the 3. Share of poorest
poverty proportion of people quintile in national 6.5% 5.3%
and hunger who suffer from income
hunger 4. Prevalence of
underweight children 67% 40% 33%
under five years of age
5. Proportion of
28% 19.5% 14%
population below
 minimum level of
dietary energy
consumption (1800 kcal)
Source: Base year indicator 1a, 2: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (Household Expenditure Survey); Current status
indicator 1a, 2, and 3: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (Household Income and Expenditure Survey)

Challenges Ahead
Bangladesh is on schedule to achieving MDG 1 by 2015. But its economic growth process has
not sufficiently benefited the extreme poor. Indicator 3 shows that the share of poorest quintile in
national income has reduced over the years. Increasing the share of the poorest quintile in
national consumption/income is a major challenge for the country and will require the benefit of
economic growth to be more directed towards the poor. Bangladesh risks missing the target of
14.0 per cent in 2015 if it fails to sustain the present trend of economic growth or if the extreme
poor continue to get lesser benefit from economic growth.

MDG 2: Achieving Universal Primary Education

In order to ensure universal primary education, the Parliament enacted the Primary Education
(Compulsory) Act 1990, and the compulsory primary education program was started in 1993.
This program will continue as long as it is necessary to achieve the education-related MDG.
Also, in order to ensure “education for all”, the government has introduced a program called
“Reaching Out-of-School Children”, to be implemented between July 2004 and June 2010.

Fig: Net primary enrolment ratio

 MDG 2 Status

Base
Current Target
Goal 2 Targets Indicators year
Status 2015
(1991)
Achieve 3. Ensure that, 6. Net enrolment
universal by 2015, ratio in primary 60% 87% 100%
primary children education
education everywhere,
boys and girls 7. Proportion of
alike, will be pupils starting Grade 43% 53% 100%
able to complete 1 who reach Grade 5
a full course of
8. Adult Literacy
primary 37% 54% 100%
rate of 1 + years old
schooling
Source: Base year indicator 6: Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, 8: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.
Current status indicators 6 and 7: Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, 8: Bangladesh Bureau of
Statistics

Challenges Ahead
Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in increasing net enrolment in primary education. If
the present trend continues, the target of 100 per cent primary school enrolment by 2012 is
attainable. But the ultimate achievement of MDG 2 is threatened by poor performance in primary
school completion rate. That, in turn, impacts adult literacy negatively. At the current rate of
progress, Bangladesh is unlikely to achieve its adult literacy target by 2015. To increase the
number of children completing their primary education, more resources need to be given to
primary schooling through, for example, monetary and material benefits for students, parents and
teachers. Secondary level education also demands policy makers’ attention. Significant building
of the educational system’s capacity, both formal and informal, should improve the chances of
Bangladesh meeting its MDG 2 target by 2015.

MDG 3: Achieving Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women

Gender equality and women empowerments are a core MDG. It is a development objective in its
own right, and its achievement is essential for attaining the goal of poverty reduction. The global
target of education-related MDG is to eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary
education by 2005 and in all levels of education by 2015. Bangladesh has made tremendous
progress in achieving the first target of removing gender disparity in schooling. The female-male
ratio of students in primary schools has steadily increased.

MDG 3 Status

Base
Current Target
Goal 3 Targets Indicators year
Status 2015
(1992)
Promote 4. Eliminate
9. Ratio of girls to boys in
gender gender disparity in
primary, secondary and
equality primary and
tertiary education:
and secondary
empower education, Primary 45:55 53:47 50:50
women preferably by Secondary 34:66 50:50 50:50
2005, and in all Tertiary 25:75 36:64 50:50
levels of education 10. Ratio of literate women
no later than 2015 to 42:58 46:54 100:100
men, 20-24 years old
11. Share of women in wage
employment in the
41% 59%
nonagricultural
sector
12. Proportion of seats held
by
10.3% 14.8%
women in national
parliament
Source: Base year indicator 9a: Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, 9b, 9c: BANBEIS (BES), 10:
Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (Census), 11: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (LDS), 12: Bangladesh
Bureau of Statistics. Current status indicator 9a: Ministry of Primary Education, 9b, 9c: BANBEIS (BES),
10: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (Census), 11: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (LDS), 12: Bangladesh
Bureau of Statistics

Challenges Ahead
MDG 3 aims for gender equality and the empowerment of women by promoting gender equality
in education, labor market and in politics. Bangladesh has already achieved gender parity in
primary and secondary education, and in wage employment in the non-agriculture sector.
However, the progress of gender parity in tertiary education and the share of women in political
leadership remain sluggish and will need far-sighted and challenging policy interventions for this
goal’s targets to be met. Those policy interventions may consist of further amendments to laws,
incentives for female students at the tertiary level and electoral reforms promoting the
nomination of woman candidates by political parties.

MDG 4: Reducing Child Mortality

Child mortality not only represents an enormous waste of human resources, it is also a major
cause of suffering in the population. The MDG for Bangladesh is to reduce the under-five
mortality rate from about 94 per thousand live births in 1990 to 32 by 2015. Bangladesh has
made significant progress in reducing the child mortality rate although it is far below the related
MDG target.

Fig: Under Five mortality rate

MDG 4 Status
Base
Current Target
Goal 4 Targets Indicators year
Status 2015
(1991)
Reduce 5. Reduce by two 13. Under five mortality
child thirds, between rate (per 1,000 live 151 62 50
mortality 1990 and 2015, the births)
under-five child 14. Infant mortality rate
mortality rate (0-1 year per 1,000 live 94 45 31
births)
15. Proportion of 1 year
old children immunized 54% 87% 100%
against measles
Source: Base year indicator 13, 14: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (SVRS), 15: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics
(MICS); Current status indicator 13, 14: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (SVRS), 15: Bangladesh Bureau
of Statistics (MICS)

Challenges Ahead
Bangladesh’s progress in all the three MDG 4 indicators is particularly encouraging. It is likely
to meet all targets before 2015, if recent trends are maintained. There are, however, distinct
regional variations that need to be addressed. Urban slums, the Chittagong Hill Tracts, coastal
belt regions and other ecologically vulnerable areas are falling behind. The government, with the
support of its development partners, must ensure that its efforts reach all Bangladeshi people, and
that the excellent progress to date is sustained.

MDG 6: Combating HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other Diseases

Health is a fundamental right of the people, recognized in the constitution. The Government of
Bangladesh therefore considers health as a high priority sector. It is also committed to achieving
the MDG of combating HIV/AIDS and other killer diseases.

MDG 6 Status
Base
Target
Goal 6 Targets Indicators year Current
2015
(1991) Status
Combat 7. Have halted by
HIV/ AIDS, 2015 and begun to 18. HIV prevalence among
malaria reverse the spread pregnant women aged 15-24 n/a
and other of HIV/AIDS years
diseases
8. Have halted by
19. Condom use rate of the
2015 and begun to
contraceptive prevalence rate 2.5% 5.5%
reverse the incidence
(among currently married
of malaria and other
women 15-49 years old)
major diseases.
 19.a Condom use at the last n/a n/a
high-risk sex
19.b Per cent of population
aged 15- 24 years with n/a 38
comprehensive correct
knowledge of HIV/AIDS
19.c. Contraceptive 40% 58%
prevalence rate
20. Ratio of school
attendance of
orphans to school attendance n/a n/a
of non orphans aged 10-14
years
21.a Notified cases of
malaria per 42 34
100,000 population
21.b Malaria death rate per 0.35
100,000 population, all ages
22. Proportion of population
in malaria risk areas using n/a n/a
effective malaria prevention
and treatment measures
23.a Tuberculosis prevalence n/a 406
rate per 100,000 population
23.b Tuberculosis death rate
per n/a 47
100,000 population
24.a Tuberculosis detection 34% 71% 100%
rate under DOTS
24.b Tuberculosis treatment 84% 91% 100%
success rate under DOTS

Sources: Base year indicator 19, 19c: NIPORT (BDHS), 21a, 24a, 24b: IEDCR; Current status indicator 19, 19c:
NIPORT (BDHS), 19b: Calculated from BDHS, 21a, 23a, 23b, 24a, 24b: IEDCR, 21b: Calculated from
IEDCR data.

Challenges Ahead

Although the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Bangladesh is very low, effective surveillance of the
potential sources is essential. The country also needs to develop strong mechanisms to monitor
outbreaks of malaria in high-risk districts and to develop effective treatments for drug resistant
malaria strains. Simultaneous increases in detection and cure rates, along with improvements in
the quality of diagnostic services, will continue to pose a major challenge for the country. This
demands stronger and improved governance of the health sector, particularly in communicable
disease prevention and control mechanisms.

Result and Decision:

In our research we experience that most of our MDGs are achieved or nearby achieving position.
We think Progress towards the attainment of MDGs in Bangladesh is very much near to be
fulfilled and it will be fully achieved within 2015. The growth elasticity of poverty reduction for
rural areas is estimated at -0.73, while the figure for urban areas are –0.64. Using these
elasticity’s, the results show that the attainment of the Millennium goal of reducing the income-
poverty level by half by 2015 will require significant additional efforts. The ratio of male and
female in primary and secondary education is almost same. Women are now involved in many
sectors. But till now it is not as same as male. Child mortality rate is also significantly decreased.
Maternal health is also improving in rural area. Many kinds of broadcasting help them to take
necessary steps in the time of pregnancy. HIV/AIDS and others diseases is lowering day by day.

Recommendation

 There has some problem regarding achievement of MDGs but the problem will be
removed if government of Bangladesh who come into the power with the voice of
making digital Bangladesh

 Government can inform more people about MDGs so that people can understand the
importance of MDGs.

 If different types of private organization like NGOs will help the government, which
would be better for achieving the MDGs goals.
Conclusion
Bangladesh seems to be on track to achieve some of the UN millennium development goals such
as universal primary school enrollment and gender parity. A recent UNDP report says that
Bangladesh could be a role model for UNDP by showing that sustained improvement in human
development is possible even in poor countries at relatively modest levels of income growth.
References

1. BBS, Statistics Division, Ministry of Planning, GOB, Dhaka 2006.

2. The Millennium Development Goals Report, Department of the United Nations
secretariats, 2006.
3. The Millennium Development Goals: Bangladesh progress Report, jointly prepared by
the Government of Bangladesh and United Nations Country team of Bangladesh, 2005.
4. The Millennium Development Goals: Bangladesh progress Report, jointly prepared by
the Government of Bangladesh and United Nations Country team of Bangladesh, 2007.

5. The Millennium Development Goals: Bangladesh progress Report, General Economic

Division, Planning Commission, peoples Republic of Bangladesh,2008