ERADICATE EXTREME POVERTY & HUNGER
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Target 1: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than $1 a day Target 2: Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people Target 3: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger |
Syria has reduced the number of people living in poverty from approximately 14% in 1997 to 11% in 2004, as reported in the Second National Report on the Millennium Development Goals in Syria. UNDP Syria projects that if the current poverty reduction trend prevails, MDG 1 is to be achieved in 2015, namely to reduce poverty incidence to 7.13%.
EACHIEVE UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATIONR
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Target 1: Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling |
Syria has raised the net primary school enrollment rate from 95.4% in 1995 to 98% in 2004, thus reaching the interim target set for that year. However there remains a significant disparity between different regions with regards to completion of primary education. While 93% of all boys and girls in Syria reach the sixth year of schooling, this figure is as low as 76% in some of the northern regions of the country – primarily in the Aleppo Governorate. In the Lattakia and Tartous Governorates, data indicates that 100% of boys and girls reached the sixth year. The literacy rate by governorate ranged between 78% in Deir Ezzor and Al Raqqa and 99% in Damascus and Quneitra.
PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY AND EMPOWER WOMEN
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Target 1: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015 |
Female to male ratios in the university stage (18-23 age group) witnessed a remarkable increase from 58% in 1990 to 88% in 2004, as the percentage of literate females (15-24 age group) rose from 86% to 92% during the same period. Yet with the exception of the age group 15-17, the improvement rate was below the interim target. Syria continues to maintain a high rate of women’s participation in politics among Arab countries, with women holding 30 out of 250 parliamentary seats – a 2.4% increase from 1994, preceded only by Iraq and Tunisia.
REDUCE CHILD MORTALITY
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Target 1: Reduce by two thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate. |
The Syrian Government is currently paying special attention to childhood issues and is exerting major efforts to reduce the mortality rate of infants under five years of age. In 1993 the national level of infant mortality was 41.7 per thousand, while data from 2004 confirmed a rate reduction to 19.3 per thousand. This means that Syria has greatly exceeded its interim target of reducing infant mortality and has in fact achieved 81% of the gross reduction needed to meet the final target projected for the year 2015.
IMPROVE MATERNAL HEALTH
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Target 1: Reduce by three quarters the maternal mortality ratio Target 2: Achieve universal access to reproductive health |
Maternal mortality rate has dropped from 107 per 100,000 live births in 1993 to 58 per 100,000 live births in 2004, thereby exceeding the year 2004 interim target by 66.9%. Thus Syria achieved 62% of the 2015 target. Despite this progress at the national level there are extreme variations in the maternity morality rate ratio in poorer governorates in the east, as observed in Raqqa (poverty rate as high as 17.6%) where the ratio mounts to 91.4 per 100,000 live births.
COMBAT HIV/AIDS, MALARIA AND OTHER DISEASES
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Target 1: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS Target 2: Achieve, by 2010, universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for all those who need it Target 3: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases |
Syria is considered to have one of the lowest HIV prevalence rates in the world (estimated at less than 0.1% in the 2005 Human Development Report), and is among the countries with the lowest number of discovered cases – according to the Second National Report on the Millennium Development Goals in Syria. HIV/AIDS tests in 2004 totaled 330,456 and most cases of infection were prevalent among the younger age groups, in fact 50% are under 24 years old. The male to female ratio for infection in Syria is 3:1.
ENSURE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
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Target 1: Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources Target 2: Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss Target 3: Halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation Target 4: By 2020, to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers |
Land covered by forest increased from 2.22% in 1995 to 2.53% in 2004, marginally missing the target rate by 0.43%. New construction, climate change, the drop in rainfall rates, the rise of temperatures, and the spread of fires all hindered progress. Syria is working on a drafted “greening plan” to protect the region from desertification and drought by raising the rate of reforestation in woodland areas, and also by increasing green patches and forest areas to 3.86 by the year 2015. Furthermore, by the end of 2004, 88% of the Syrian population had access to safe drinking water, an increase of 53% since 2000.
DEVELOP A GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR DEVELOPMENT
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Target 1: Address the special needs of least developed countries, landlocked countries and small island developing states Target 2: Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system Target 3: Deal comprehensively with developing countries’ debt Target 4: In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable essential drugs in developing countries Target 5: In cooperation with the private sector, make available benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications |
Syria’s priority is creating job opportunities especially as the production process advances due to new developments in information and communication technologies. However the employment market is witnessing pressures from the growing number of individuals joining the workforce for the first time, which is contributing to unemployment, especially in the 15 to 24 year old age group. Data indicates that the unemployment rate for this age group rose from 13.9% in 1995 to 24.9% in 2004.
UNDP's Efforts Promoting the MDG's in Syria
UNDP Syria supports the government's initiatives, implementing projects within the following 7 areas in pursuit of the overarching MDGs.
Poverty Alleviation (MDG 1)
In accordance with MDG1, Syria has reduced the number of those living under the national poverty line of $2 a day to approximately 11 %, according to the Syria MDG Report of 2005. However certain areas of Syria – especially the North, the East, and suburban areas – suffer more acutely from poverty than others. To change these conditions UNDP Syria has made poverty alleviation a key element of its programs, with a focus on improving equity in disadvantaged areas. Many interventions are based on the view that poverty and related phenomena (like under- and unemployment) result from a poor economic atmosphere.Joint Syrian / UNDP initiatives are tackling this through programs aimed at improving economic competitiveness, especially for the development of the Eastern region. Other projects are planned for the years spanning 2007-2011, when UNDP will be helping the Syrian Government in its review of trade laws and the role of the private and financial sectors, in addition to Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) placing an emphasis on pro-poor policy. Social safety nets, including insurance systems, pension schemes, and mechanisms for accessing unconditional cash transfers, will also be reinforced. At the medium and micro levels, UNDP is currently encouraging the development of poor areas like Jabal al-Hoss through microfinance institutions, by supporting small and medium enterprises and building skills to make people more employable.
Business for Development Practice Area
Poverty Reduction Practice Area
Education (MDG2)
Educational participation is closely tied to other human development indicators such as poverty reduction. In Syria, there is a significant disparity between different regions when it comes to completion of primary education, as in other fields. Indeed, while 93 % of all boys and girls in Syria reach the sixth year of schooling, this figure is as low as 76 % in some northern regions of the country. The root causes of non-participation at all levels of education include not only the non-existence or low quality of services, but also socioeconomic factors – something that the UN will help address in 2007-2011. Poor children who work to help support a family, for example, may not be able to attend school.Gender Issues (MDG3)
The Syrian constitution and most of the country’s laws grant men and women equal rights, but socioeconomic realities – including common social practices – often mean that these are not always realized. The issue of empowering women and acknowledging the differences in the effects that development can have on men and women can be pervasive and deep. As such, UNDP Syria has made gender equality a mainstream issue in its programming, as it must be considered in every project – from those designed to alleviate poverty, to strengthening governance, to improving the natural environment. A “gender cluster” of UNDP staff helps oversee this process, and ensures that resources are available for the UN and its partners – including a four-booklet toolkit on gender in Syria. Gender mainstreaming is particularly evident in the Fostering Democratic Governance practice area, and will be further strengthened in the 2007-2011 program cycle. In parallel to these mainstreaming efforts, there are initiatives that specifically seek to empower women. These include the planned support of women’s participation in elections, as candidates and voters in 2007-2011.Democratic Governance Practice Area
Child Mortality and Maternal Health (MDG4 & MDG5)
Reducing child mortality (MDG4) is an important goal in Syria’s human development, as is improving maternal health (MDG5). While data from 2004 indicates a reduction of child mortality to 19.3 per thousand and a reduction in the maternal mortality rate to 58 per 100,000 live births, efforts are constantly being coordinated with UNDP Syria and UNICEF to address these two important goals.HIV/AIDS (MDG6)
HIV/AIDS is an area where UNDP is involved directly in the Syrian health sector. While HIV prevalence in Syria is quite low compared to many countries in the world (estimated at less than 0.1% in the 2005 Human Development Report), the number of cases is increasing. In the coming years, UNDP will be expanding its role as coordinator and start a multi-sector approach involving policy advising, capacity building, advocacy and awareness-raising. Partners will include media, religious leaders, national institutions and civil society.Energy and Environment (MDG7)
In line with the MDG7, ensuring environmental sustainability, UNDP Syria operates on the basis that real human development is not possible without a sustainable environmental component. The agency has numerous projects working to improve environmental standards in Syria. One is to make olive oil processing cleaner, while others target biodiversity in rural areas. At the broader level, UNDP has supported the “National Action Plan” to combat desertification, provided policy advising, and has monitored studies on dry land agro-biodiversity, supply side energy efficiency, and sustainable land management. The UNDP practice area Energy and Environment for Sustainable Development gives more details on individual projects.Energy and Environment Practice Area