§ Tom BrakeTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development how the war in Iraq has affected progress towards the Millennium Development Goals of(a) halving by 2015 the number of people in Iraq who suffer from hunger, (b) halving by 2015 the number of people in Iraq without sustainable access to safe drinking water, (c) improving the mortality rate for children under five in Iraq, (d) achieving gender equality in primary education in Iraq and (e) moving towards universal youth literacy in Iraq. [162893]
§ Hilary BennUnder Saddam Hussein's regime, Iraq was moving away from the Millennium Development Goals. The provision of health care, education and essential services declined significantly between the 1980s and 2003. Iraq's position on the Human development Index fell from 76th in 1990 to 126th in 2000.
Following Saddam's overthrow, the international community pledged $32 billion in assistance for 2004–2007 at the Madrid Donors' Conference last October. A significant proportion of this finance will be invested in health. education and essential services including water supply and sanitation. Consideration is also being given to reducing Iraq's unsustainable external debt. This support, together with Iraq's considerable natural and human resources, should enable the country to move quickly towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals in the coming years.
885WStatistics are not available on progress over the last year on the specific Goals referred to in the question.