PHM-Exch> The MDGs in Europe and Central Asia: Achievements, Challenges and the Way Forward

[Claudio Schuftan]

The challenges and way forward apply to other continents as well.
 Claudio


From: Ruggiero, Mrs. Ana Lucia (WDC) <ruglucia at paho.org>


 *The MDGs in Europe and Central Asia:
Achievements, Challenges and the Way Forward

*

*Report coordinated by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe -
2010

*

Available online PDF [142p.] at: http://bit.ly/b4vZ8f

 This report, prepared jointly by the United Nations Economic Commission for
Europe (UNECE) and the Regional Offices for Europe and Central Asia of the
United Nations Funds, Programmes and Specialized Agencies, takes stock of
progress made in reaching the MDG goals and offers decision-makers
policy-oriented, operationally feasible suggestions for bolstering progress
towards fully achieving these goals by 2015. It also identifies and
contextualizes the greatest challenges facing human development, taking into
account the specific characteristics of the UNECE region.



"......In addition to the governance issue, the report points to other priority
policy areas which can have a multiplier effect in reaching the MDGs.
The following six should be highlighted.
*First*, the design of sustainable social-protection schemes is critical to
ensure a universal access to social services in a human rights perspective.
*Second,* extra emphasis should be placed on promoting gender equality since
it has cross-cutting effects on all the other MDGs.
*Third*, budget allocation and choice in public investment must strike the
right balance between social infrastructure and support to the productive
capacity,

including in the agricultural sector.
*Fourth,* reviewing fiscal policies is decisive for reducing inequalities
and for providing more fiscal space to finance social protection.
*Fifth*, regional cooperation must be enhanced to address major MDG
transboundary issues such as international migration, cross-border water
management, trade and transport facilitation and climate change adaptation
and mitigation. And
*sixth*, donor countries of the region should at least maintain the existing
ODA level for the lower income countries of the region and intervene for
relaxing the conditionality of the international financial institutions on
loans to emerging economies hardly hit by the economic downturn....."  from *Ján
Kubiš*

*U.N. Under-Secretary-General*

*

*

[....] The following are some cross-cutting considerations for scaling up
action towards the three health MDGs:



* There is a need to reinforce all health system functions, with attention
to service delivery, financing, workforce, health information systems,
procurement and distribution of medicines, vaccines and technologies, sexual
and reproductive health care and political will in leadership and
governance. Actions should be grounded in a primary health care approach,
involving communities and civil society. Measures to include the MDGs in
national health plans, scale up key targeted and equity-proofed
interventions, and provide appropriate integrated services are opportune.



* It is important to account for health equity in all national policies that
address social determinants of health and gender inequities, and to consider
developing and strengthening universal comprehensive social-protection
policies that include health promotion, infectious and non-communicable
disease prevention and health care, and to promote the availability of and
access to goods and services essential to health and well-being.



* Accelerating progress towards the health MDGs will require
increasing/maximizing the benefits of investment in financial and human
resources and strengthening national health information systems to generate
accurate, reliable, disaggregated and timely evidence on achievement of the
health MDGs.



* All efforts should be made to fulfill commitments regarding official
development assistance and improve donor and aid coordination so that it
strengthens national health systems and brings greater coherence and
alignment to the donor response at country level.

* *


Jointly prepared by:

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe - United Nations Development
Programme - International Labour Organization - Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations

World Food Programme - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization - United Nations Development Fund for Women - World Health
Organization

United Nations Children's Fund - United Nations Population Fund - Joint
United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS - United Nations Environment Programme
- United Nations Industrial Development Organization - United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development -International Trade Centre
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://phm.phmovement.org/pipermail/phm-exchange-phmovement.org/attachments/20100917/8a970ca3/attachment.html>