why is goal 6 important? rates of hiv infection can be reduced through education and behaviour...
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Why is Goal 6 important?
Rates of HIV infection can be reduced through education and behaviourchange. Educating people about the risks of unprotected sex and theprovision of condoms are cost-effective methods aimed at reducing therisk of HIV infection. Providing antiretroviral drugs to those infected with HIV enables individuals to stay healthy for longer and continue working to provide for their family.Malaria is a preventable condition that contributes significantly to the burden of disease in developing countries. It is responsible for over a million deaths each year. Simple, cost-effective methods of prevention can significantly reduce the transmission of the disease. Other diseases, such as tuberculosis, are vaccine preventable.
Target 1
Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS
Explain how HIV is transmitted?
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) damages the body’s immune system and is the cause of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The virus is transmitted via the exchange of infected bodily fluids (blood, semen, vaginal secretions and breast milk). HIV is usually spread by sexual intercourse without a condom and by sharing needles, syringes and other injecting equipment. It is estimated that between 75 and 85 per cent of adults who are HIV positive contracted the infection through unprotected sexual intercourse. P
How can HIV/ AIDS be halted and reversed?
The spread of HIV can be halted via the use of preventative measures that are simple and cost-effective. Avoiding sexual contact with infected people, using condoms and not sharing needles or syringes are simple means by which the spread of HIV can be halted. Education regarding how HIV is transmitted and how transmission can be prevented is vital.
Outline a few ways HIV / AIDS can effect a persons life
• orphaned children• loss of cultural traditions due to adults having lower life expectancies and notbeing able to pass on their knowledge to their children• loss of healthy adults who would normally be involved in roles such as producingfood• loss of income
Target 2
Achieve by 2010 universal access to treatmentfor HIV/AIDS for those who need it
How the use of antiretroviral drugs assist HIV/AIDS and have a positive impact on the development of a community?
There is currently no cure for HIV; however, antiretroviral (ARV) therapy enables people to control the virus and stay healthy for longer. ARV therapy involves a combination of three or more drugs that stop the virus from being made in the body. This slows and may even halt the progression of HIV to AIDS; however, these drugs do not eliminate the virus from the body and ARV drugs need to be taken continuously. Antiretroviral drugs trap HIV / AIDS and restrict it from spreading allowing the patient to have a longer more productive life.
Target 3
Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases
What is malaria and what effects does it have on an individual’s health.
Malaria is an infection caused by a parasite that is passed on from an infected mosquito. It causes fever, headache, diarrhoea and vomiting and, if left untreated, can disrupt blood supply to the internal organs causing death.
How can Malaria be stopped or reduced?
Malaria can be prevented through the use of anti-malaria insecticide treated bed nets, the spraying of insecticides within homes and anti-malarial drugs.
Measuring the success of Goal 6
•significant improvements in key interventions for HIV, malaria and measles have resulted in a reduction in child deaths from 12.5 million in 1990 to 8.8 million in 2008• the number of people receiving antiretroviral therapy increased from 400 000 in 2003 to 4 million in 2008. This equates to 42 per cent of the 8.8 million people requiring treatment for HIV.
Areas where progress has not occurred or has been slow
• although the HIV/AIDS epidemic appears to have stabilised in most regions, there is an increase in prevalence in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and other parts of Asia. Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 72 per cent of all new HIV infections in 2008.• although 42 per cent of the 8.8 million people requiring treatment for HIV in low- and middle-income countries received ARV drugs in 2008, approximately5.5 million did not have access to the drugs.• young people aged 15–24 accounted for 40 per cent of new HIV infections among adults worldwide in 2008. Less than one-third of young men and less than one fifth of young women in developing countries claim to have knowledge regarding the prevention of HIV transmission. In sub-Saharan Africa, the likelihood of being informed about HIV prevention increases with household income level.
Target 6.A: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDSNew HIV infections continue to decline in most regions.More people than ever are living with HIV due to fewer AIDS-related deaths and the continued large number of new infections with 2.5 million people are newly infected each year.Comprehensive knowledge of HIV transmission remains low among young people, along with condom use.More orphaned children are now in school due to expanded efforts to mitigate the impact of AIDS
Target 6.B:Achieve, by 2010, universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for all those who need itWhile the target was missed by 2011, access to treatment for people living with HIV increased in all regions.At the end of 2011, 8 million people were receiving antiretroviral therapy for HIV. This total constitutes an increase of over 1.4 million people from December 2010.By the end of 2011, eleven countries had achieved universal access to antiretroviral therapy.
Target 6.C:Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseasesThe global estimated incidence of malaria has decreased by 17 per cent since 2000, and malaria-specific mortality rates by 25 per cent.In the decade since 2000, 1.1 million deaths from malaria were averted. Countries with improved access to malaria control interventions saw child mortality rates fall by about 20 per cent.Thanks to increased funding, more children are sleeping under insecticide-treated bed nets in sub-Saharan Africa.Treatment for tuberculosis has saved some 20 million lives between 1995 and 2011.
MDG 6 targets
Improvements Ongoing concerns
BY 2015, halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS.
•Globally, fewer people became infected with HIV.•Media campaigns have been successful in increasing HIV knowledge and behaviour change.
•The 2010 target of universal access to antiretroviral therapy was not reached.•High rates of new HIV infections occurred in sub-Saharan Africa and Caucasus and Central Asia.•There are more people living with HIV.•Higher rates of women infected with HIV occurred in sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean.•Knowledge regarding HIV and AIDS remains low in sub-Saharan Africa•Condom use by young women remains low in sub-Saharan Africa.•Access to testing is low in sub-Saharan Africa.•Millions of children are orphaned as a result of AIDS.
By 2010, achieve universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for those who need it.
•Access to antiretroviral therapy for HIV/AIDS has increased in developing regions.•There has been a decrease in the global mortality rate from AIDS-related conditions due to the introduction and expansion of anti-retroviral therapy.•There are higher rates of people living with HIV due to increasing access to anti-retroviral therapy.
•More than half of the people in sub-Saharan Africa who are eligible for treatment are not receiving antiretroviral therapy.•Universal access to antiretroviral therapy was not achieved by 2010.•Less than half of the pregnant women living with HIV received the most effective antiretroviral therapy in 2010.
By 2015, halt and begin to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases.
•Globally the incidence of malaria has declined.•International funding for malaria control has increased, which has increased access to insecticide-treated mosquito nets in developing regions.•A greater proportion of people in developing countries are using insecticide-treated mosquito nets.•Residual spraying has protected a greater percentage of the population at risk of malaria.•Access to diagnostic testing and treatment has increased.•Globally the incidence of tuberculosis has fallen.•It is estimated that the 1990 death rate from tuberculosis will be halved by 2015.•A greater proportion of people in developing countries were successfully treated for tuberculosis.
•Inadequate resources may slow the progress in relation to malaria control.•Resistance to the drugs and insecticides used in the insecticide-treated malaria nets and indoor residual spraying has been reported in some developing countries.•Over a third of new cases of tuberculosis go unreported and untreated.•Many HIV-positive tuberculosis patients do not know their HIV status
TABLE 9.8 Summary of progress towards MDG 6 targets
Achieving environmental sustainability means reducing biodiversity loss by balancing the needs of humans with the maintenance of the ecosystems upon which human life depends. This ensures that the necessary resources, such as food from plants and animals, continue to be available for the current generation as well as for future generations.
Why is Goal 7 important?
What is the purpose of Goal 7?
One of the purposes of Goal 7 is to maintain the qualities of the physical environment that are considered important for health and human development to ensure they are sustainable (that is, available) for future generations. Another purpose of Goal 7 is to reduce biodiversity loss, as well as ensure access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation, which are important for promoting health and sustainable human development. Improving the lives of people living in slums is another key focus.
Target 1
Integrate principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs and reverse the loss of environmental resources
It is estimated that carbon dioxide (CO2) created from the combustion of fossil fuels by cars, factories and electricity production contribute more than 50 per cent of the greenhouse gas emissions on a global scale that are responsible for climate change. Globally, increasing temperatures have devastating effects on the environment, often leading to negative impacts on the health of affected populations. For developing countries already struggling with poverty, climate change further contributes to the burden of disease experienced. Weather extremes not only endanger people’s health but displace people and destroy infrastructure and properties, which may take years to rebuild. For example, Hurricane Katrina, which hit the southern coast of the United States in August 2005, resulted in more than 1800 people losing their lives and more than US$82 billion in damages. Global warming has contributed to rising sea levels, which can have a devastating effect on populations living on coastal land. Rising sea levels can result in the flooding of communities, which not only causes destruction to properties but may also cause injury and death. Flood waters can contaminate sources of drinking water, such as wells and rivers, and may increase the risk of water-related diseases such as diarrhoea and malaria.
How does reversing the loss of environmental resources
strengthen local and national economies?
Reversing the loss of environmental resources such as forests and clean water is essential to ensuring environmental sustainability and promoting the health and human development of populations. Forests assist in the conservation of soil and water resources, which improves crop growth and provides grazing land for livestock, which ultimately can strengthen local and national economies.
Target 2: Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate
of loss
Biodiversity refers to the different plants, animals and micro-organisms within the environment and the ecosystems of which they are a part. Ecosystems help maintain life support systems for humans. Reducing the depletion of the ozone layer in the atmosphere is also important for ensuring the maintenance of the ecosystems within the world.
Target 3:Halve by 2015 the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation
Contaminated water can result in the following conditions.•Diarrhoea, •Cholera, •Worm infestations,•Hepatitis,•Dysentery.
Target 4: By 2020, to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of
at least 100 million slum dwellers
A Slum is a heavily populated urban area characterised by substandard housing and squalor.It can be defined by any of the follow characteristics:1. Lack of improved sanitation2. Poor water facilities3. Non-durable housing4. Insufficient living area.The underlying reasons for a slum include:• Migration of people from rural areas to urban areas to seek work• Poverty• Impact of globalisation, such as increased demand for skilled labour, resulting in unemployment for those who are unskilled• Insecure housing and land tenure. Without long-term possession of housing and land, poor people are less likely to make efforts to improve their surroundings.
Measuring the success of Goal 7 in 2010
• Tree planting programs in many countries, as well as the natural expansion of forests, has resulted in an additional 7 million hectares of new forests annually. This resulted in a reduction of the net loss of forest area from 8.3 million hectares per year in 1990–2000 to 5.2 million hectares per year in 2000–10.• The global consumption of ozone-depleting substances was reduced by 98 per cent between 1986 and 2008. As a result of the Montreal Protocol, the consumption of ODS will be reduced by four to five times the reductions targeted in the Kyoto Protocol.• If current trends continue, the world will meet, or even exceed, the target of halving the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water by 2015. It is estimated that 86 per cent of the population in developing regions will have gained access to an improved water source. The regions of Northern Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Asia and South-Eastern Asia, have already met the target.• Significant progress has been made in access to safe drinking water in rural areas in developing regions. Rural drinking water coverage increased from 60 per cent in 1990 to 76 per cent in 2008.• The share of the urban population living in slums in developing regions has declined from 39 per cent in 2000 to 33 per cent in 2010.
• While global deforestation has been declining slowly, it is still occurring at a high rate in many countries. From 2000 to 2010, 16 million hectares of forest worldwide were lost from natural causes or being converted to agricultural land. Although this is less than what was lost in the 1990s, the reduction is not enough to achieve Goal 7.• In 2007, the global emission of carbon dioxide increased by 3.2 per cent from the previous year and represents a 35 per cent increase above the 1990 level• It has been predicted that the global emissions will exceed the 1990 level by approximately 65 per cent by 2020, which will have adverse effects on the climate globally• Although there has been some success in the conservation of diversity, the loss of biodiversity continues. In 2010, there were nearly 17 000 species of plants and animals that were known to be threatened by extinction, which will have a significant impact on the ecosystems upon which human life depends.• In 2009 only half of the world’s 821 terrestrial eco-regions (large areas of land or water with distinct biodiversity of flora, fauna and ecosystems) had more than 10 per cent of their area protected• More birds and mammals are being driven towards extinction than are improving in status.
Areas where progress has not occurred or has been slow
• Although rural drinking water coverage has increased significantly in developing regions, 80 per cent of people globally who do not have access to an improved drinking water source live in rural areas• At the current rate of progress, the world is unlikely to meet the 2015 target of halving the proportion of people without access to basic sanitation. In 2008, an estimated 2.6 billion people globally lacked access to improved sanitation. This may increase to 2.7 billion by 2015, if the current trend continues. Approximately 48 per cent of the population in developing regions did not have access to basic sanitation in 2008. In sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia, 69 per cent and 64 per cent of the population respectively lacked access to basic sanitation.• Southern Asia has the highest rate of open defecation in the world with 44 per cent of the population defecating in the open• While most progress in sanitation has occurred in rural areas, there is still an enormous gap between rural and urban areas. In 2008, the proportion of people using an improved sanitation facility was 45 per cent in rural areas compared with 76 per cent in urban areas.• Poverty has a significant impact on sanitation; in 2005–08, the richest 20 per cent of the population in sub-Saharan Africa were five times more likely to use an improved sanitation facility than the poorest 20 per cent• Globally, the number of people living in slum conditions is increasing. The number was estimated at 657 million in 1990, 767 million in 2000 and 828 million in 2010.• sub-Saharan Africa is estimated to have the highest prevalence of urban slums, followed by Southern Asia.
Target 7.A: Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resourcesForests are a safety net for the poor, but they continue to disappear at an alarming rate.Of all developing regions, South America and Africa saw the largest net losses of forest areas between 2000 and 2010.Global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) have increased by more than 46 per cent since 1990. In the 25 years since the adoption of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, there has been a reduction of over 98 per cent in the consumption of ozone-depleting substances.At Rio+20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, world leaders approved an agreement entitled “The Future We Want,” and more than $513 billion was pledged towards sustainable development initiatives.
Target 7.B:Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of lossMore areas of the earth’s surface are protected. Since 1990, protected areas have increased in number by 58 per cent. Growth in protected areas varies across countries and territories and not all protected areas cover key biodiversity sites. By 2010, protected areas covered 12.7 per cent of the world’s land area but only 1.6 per cent of total ocean area.
Target 7.C:Halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitationThe world has met the target of halving the proportion of people without access to improved sources of water, five years ahead of schedule.Between 1990 and 2010, more than two billion people gained access to improved drinking water sources.The proportion of people using an improved water source rose from 76 per cent in 1990 to 89 per cent in 2010.Over 40 per cent of all people without improved drinking water live in sub-Saharan Africa.In 2011, 768 million people remained without access to an improved source of drinking water.Over 240,000 people a day gained access to improved sanitation facilities from 1990 to 2011. Despite progress, 2.5 billion in developing countries still lack access to improved sanitation facilities
Target 7.D: Achieve, by 2020, a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellersThe target was met well in advance of the 2020 deadline.The share of urban slum residents in the developing world declined from 39 per cent in 2000 to 33 per cent in 2012. More than 200 million of these people gained access to improved water sources, improved sanitation facilities, or durable or less crowded housing, thereby exceeding the MDG target863 million people are estimated to be living in slums in 2012 compared to 650 million in 1990 and 760 million in 2000
MDG 7 targets
Improvements Ongoing concerns
Integrate principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs and reverse the loss of environmental resources.
•Globally, reduced deforestation and natural expansion of existing forests has resulted in a decrease in the net loss of forests.
•The largest net losses of forests occurred in South America and Africa.
Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving by 2010 a significant reduction in the rate of loss.
•Net loss of forests has decreased.•Carbon dioxide emissions decreased in developed regions.•The rate of increase in carbon dioxide emissions in developing regions has slowed.•There has been enormous reduction in the consumption of ozone-depleting substances.•The number and size of protected land and marine areas has increased.•Conservation efforts have slowed the progress towards extinction for some bird and mammal species.
•Carbon dioxide emissions are still well above the 1990 level.•It is predicted that once the global economy recovers, the carbon dioxide emissions will increase again.•Hydrochlorofluorocarbons are the largest group of ozone depleting substances remaining to be phased out.•Half of the world’s most important land sites for species conservation remain unprotected.•A significant proportion of species in all plant and animal groups are threatened with extinction.•There has been a significant increase in the percentage of fish stocks being overfished
TABLE 9.9 Summary of progress towards MDG 7 targets
By 2015, halve the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.
•The proportion of the world’s population using an improved drinking water source has increased.
•Millions of people globally do not have access to an improved source of drinking water.•Oceania and sub-Saharan Africa are unlikely to meet the MDG drinking water target by 2015.•Quality, reliability and sustainability of water sources have not been measured.•A greater proportion of people living in rural areas do not have access to improved drinking water sources.•Poorer households in sub-Saharan Africa are less likely to have piped water.•In sub-Saharan Africa, women and girls have the primary responsibility for collecting and carrying water from its source.•Although sanitation coverage has increased in developing regions, a large percentage of people still lack access to improved sanitation facilities.•At the current rate of progress, the target of 75 per cent sanitation coverage will not be met.•A significant proportion of people in developing countries still resort to open defecation, which increases the risk of disease.•People living in rural areas are less likely to have access to improved sanitation facilities.
By 2020, achieve a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers.
•There has been significant reduction in the proportion of people living in slums in developing regions.
•The absolute number of slum dwellers has increased due to the increase in the number of people moving to urban areas.•Although this target has been met in terms of percentage, there still is a need to improve the lives of slum dwellers.•Many people in developing countries face eviction without due legal process.
Why is Goal 8 important?
Through developing global partnerships, developed countries are able to assist developing countries in improving their economies to better meet the needs of their people, thereby improving standards. The provision of medicines enables developing countries to treat illnesses, and information communications technology (ICT) assists in ensuring medical information can be accessed quickly.
Target 1
Address the special needs of the least developed countries, land-locked countries and small island developing states.
How is aid from other countries assisting developing countries.
Poor countries depend on aid to supplement their governments’ spending on areas such as education, sanitation and health
Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system
Target 2
What is fair trade and how does it work?
Fair trade means that producers in developing countries are paida fair price for their products. Fair trade between nations benefits theworld’s least developed countries. Being able to export into countriespreviously unavailable increases income and helps reduce poverty.A more prosperous community develops, with greater opportunityto improve community facilities, protect the environment and stopexploitation by sex or race.
Target 3
Deal comprehensively with developing countries’ debt
Developing countries debt
During the 1970’s, governments and banks in developed countries lent money to developing countries. Rising interest rates and falling prices for products such as coffee and sugar, has resulted in the decline of income of developing countries and increasing debt accumulated by developing countries. In 1996, the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative was launched by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank with the ‘aim of ensuring that no poor country faces a debt it cannot manage’ (IMF, 2010). The international financial community, which includes multilateral organisations and governments, have collaborated to reduce the debt burdens of the most heavily indebted poor countries to sustainable levels. The HIPC initiative provides debt relief (the slowing or stopping of increases in debt) and low interest loans to cancel or reduce debt repayments to sustainable levels. This enables developing countries to focus on progressing towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals as money that was allocated to repay and service debts becomes available for the development of infrastructure and programs to promote health and sustainable human development.
In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable essential drugs in developing countries
Target 4
Explain how essential drugs are needed in developing countries and why they are sometimes not accessible.
Many deaths in developing countries occur as a result of lack of essential drugs and treatments to fight diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. There are approximately 340 essential medicines for the treatment of priority conditions. Essential medicines are intended to be available within health care systems at all times at a price that individuals and the community can afford. In many developing countries, medication is not subsidised by the government and so access to essential medicines is affected by the very high prices that poor people are expected to pay.
In 2009, the CEO of GlaxoSmithKline, Andrew Witty, committed toexpanding the company’s efforts to improve health in the developing world.Two initiatives he announced were:
1- to reduce prices of patented medicines in the least developed countries so they are no higher than 25 per cent of the developed world price
2- to reinvest 20 per cent of the profit that is made from selling medicines in the least developed countries to help strengthen health care infrastructure in these countries.
Target 5
In cooperation with the private sector, make available benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications
What is technology and how will health status change due to internet connectivity.
ICT includes all technologies designed to access, process and transmit information from radios, telephones and television to mobile phones, computers and the internet. Internet connectivity will enable people in developing countries to readily access information needed to become more productive with regard to business, thereby increasing incomes and improving their health status.
Provide an example of how technology can improve health
For example, farmers can use the internet to improve their knowledge of agriculture and farming techniques. This can help them promote the growth of crops. By having a productive crop people will have increased access to nutritious foods, thus decreasing rates of morbidity and mortality associated with malnutrition. By increasing crop rates they will also receive a higher income from sales of the produce, thus increasing their access to health services increasing life expectancy.
Measuring the success of Goal 8
• forty countries qualified for debt relief under the HIPC initiative with 35 having future debt repayments reduced by US$57 million. Twenty-eight countries received additional assistance of $25 billion under the multilateral debt relief initiative.• globally, access to ICT has expanded with an estimated 4.6 billion people having access to mobile phones by the end of 2009. This equates to one mobile phone subscription for 67 per cent of people.
Areas where progress has not occurred or has been slow
• in 2010, official development assistance was 0.31 per cent of the combined national income (GNI) of developed countries, which is far short of the 0.7 per cent UN target. Only five donor countries have reached or exceeded the target: Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden• the global financial crisis and the slowdown in economic growth since 2008 has reduced the previously expected level of gross national income (GNI) in developed countries. The total ODA for 2010 was projected to be US$108 billion. This is well short of the US$130 billion that was pledged by developed countries in 2005.• although access to the internet continues to expand, some developing regions have not experienced the same rate of expansion as developed countries. By the end of 2008, only 1 in 6 people in developing countries had access to the internet, and in the regions of Southern Asia, Oceania and sub-Saharan Africa, only 6 per cent of people had internet access.
Target 8.A:Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial systemDespite the pledges by G20 members to resist protectionist measures initiated as a result of the global financial crisis, only a small percentage of trade restrictions introduced since the end of 2008 have been eliminated. The protectionist measures taken so far have affected almost 3 per cent of global trade.
Target 8.B: Address the special needs of least developed countriesTariffs imposed by developed countries on products from developing countries have remained largely unchanged since 2004, except for agricultural products. Bilateral aid to sub-Saharan Africa fell by almost 1 per cent in 2011.There has been some success of debt relief initiatives reducing the external debt of heavily indebted poor countries (HIPCs) but 20 developing countries remain at high risk of debt distress.
Target 8.C: Address the special needs of landlocked developing countries and small island developing StatesAid to landlocked developing countries fell in 2010 for the first time in a decade, while aid to small island developing States increased substantially.
Target 8.D:Deal comprehensively with the debt problems of developing countriesAt this time, it appears developing countries weathered the 2009 economic downtown and in 2011 the debt to GDP ratio decreased for many developing countries. Vulnerabilities remain. Expected slower growth in 2012 and 2013 may weaken debt ratios.
Target 8.E:In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable essential drugs in developing countriesResources available for providing essential medicines through some disease-specific global health funds increased in 2011, despite the global economic downturn. There has been little improvement in recent years in improving availability and affordability of essential medicines in developing countries.
Target 8.F: In cooperation with the private sector, make available benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications74 per cent of inhabitants of developed countries are Internet users, compared with only 26 per cent of inhabitants in developing countries.The number of mobile cellular subscriptions worldwide by the end of 2011 reached 6 billion.
TABLE 9.10 Summary of progress towards MDG 8 targets MDG 8 targets Improvements Ongoing concernAddress the special needs of the least developed countries, land-locked countries and small island developing states.
•Net official development assistance (ODA) increased.•A significant proportion of ODA was allocated to the achievement of the goals of gender equality and empowering women.•ODA to the least developed countries is closer to the United Nations target of 0.15 per cent.
•Although the amount of money provided for ODA has increased in terms of absolute dollars, the percentage in real terms has actually decreased when taking inflation into consideration.•Current projections indicate that there may be a slowdown in aid from 2013.•Bilateral aid to sub-Saharan Africa decreased by 0.9 per cent in real terms.
Further develop an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system.
•The average of tariffs imposed on developing countries by developed countries is at a low level.
•395 The decrease in tariffs applied to exported products by developing and least developed countries was significant only in the case of agricultural products.
Deal comprehensively with developing countries’ debt.
•There has been an overall downward trend in average external debt service payments for developing countries.•A significant number of developing countries had future debt payments reduced.
•There are still countries that are experiencing debt distress.
In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable essential drugs in developing countries.
•Note: The lack of quantitative targets and indicators in the MDG framework prevents proper monitoring of global commitments towards providing essential medicines, including an assessment of the contribution of pharmaceutical companies.
•Essential medicines are available in slightly more than half of public sector facilities and approximately two-thirds of private sector facilities in selected developing countries.•The median prices of essential medicines are significantly higher than the international reference prices in the public and private sectors in selected developing countries.
In cooperation with the private sector, make available benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications.
•The numbers of mobile phone users and internet users have increased significantly in developing regions.
•Internet penetration in sub-Saharan Africa remains low.•Many broadband subscriptions in developing countries are significantly slower than those in developed countries.
