§ Mr. BestTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made in meeting the Millennium Development Goal targets for reducing(a) child and (b) maternal mortality. [137657]
§ Hilary BennAssuming progress continues at the same rate as over the 1990s, the Millennium Development Goals 2015 targets of reductions in child and maternal mortality will not be met.
Child mortality is declining but on current trends will have fallen by only one quarter by 2015, far short of the two thirds reduction aimed for. There is considerable regional variation. Latin America is expected to meet 57W the target but there has been much slower progress in south Asia and the Arab states, and virtually no progress in sub-Saharan Africa.
Maternal mortality is difficult to measure but the available data suggest that little progress has been made in reducing mortality in recent years, and show an increase in maternal mortality in parts of Africa. In developing countries the coverage of the proxy indicator, the proportion of women who give birth with the assistance of a skilled health worker, increased from 42 per cent. in 1990 to 52 per cent. by 2000. Coverage in east and south east Asia. and northern Africa rose significantly. Coverage is highest in Latin America, at 85 per cent. In contrast, there was little progress in sub-Saharan Africa.
DFID has put the achievement of the MDGs at the heart of its work, and is working with its partners to do all it can to meet these targets. The MDG targets for child and maternal mortality in Africa and Asia form part of DFIDs Public Service Agreement. Supporting progress in sub-Saharan Africa is a particular priority for DFID.
A more comprehensive assessment of progress towards the goals is provided in the UN Secretary General's 2003 report on the implementation of the Millennium Declaration: http://ods-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/NO3/481/57/PDF/NO348157.pdf?OpenElement.