SAARC, MDGs and Bangladesh
Ummee Saila
South Asia is a densely populated region with 1.4 billion people. Majority of them are poor and illiterate. Their living standard and per capita income are very low. Poverty, illiteracy, gender inequality, lack of awareness about health, sanitation and pure water are almost typical of this part of the world. The status of women and the condition of children are not sound at all. An estimation shows that over the last 30 years trafficking for sexual exploitation alone has violated some 30 million Asian women and children. Every year one to two million people are trafficked worldwide of which 225,000 are from South Asia. HIV/AIDS is classified as the deadliest epidemic of our time. Over 22 million people have lost their lives for and almost double are currently living with HIV/AIDS. As South Asia is densely populated and most of the people of this region are poor and illiterate, there is a great chance for AIDS to spread in this region and cause social and economic disaster. Bangladesh is still fortunate to be a low prevalent country. Having 136 million population the reported cases of HIV/AIDS in Bangladesh is very low (363reported cases as of Dec, 2003). However, according to WHO/UNAIDS report, an estimated 2500-15000 HIV infected people were there in Bangladesh at the end of 2003. To free the world from the curse of poverty, illiteracy, HIV/AIDS, in 2000, 189 member countries of United Nations had set eight goals to achieve in the millennium summit. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are: 1) eradication of poverty by 50% by the year 2015; 2) ensuring universal primary education by the year 2015; 3) eliminating gender disparity from all level of education by 2015; 4) child mortality should be reduced to two third by the year 2015; 5) maternal mortality should be decreased to three-quarter by the year 2015; 6) ensuring sustainable environment and increasing the assurance of safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 50 percent; 7) halting HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other major diseases by 2015; 8) developing a global partnership for development. Four years have past after the MDGs were summitted and no one can say that it is a very short time to make the 189 member countries get aware of MDGs. But we have to say with great regret that MDGs are limited only in the seminar paper. Mass media have failed to ensure participation of mass people in MDGs. After 9/11, elimination of terrorism became the prime objective of the developed countries. History says that economically advanced countries have been dominating in the world politics. They have given birth to the concept of 'human rights', 'sovereignty', 'democracy' etc. The developed countries volunteer the major activities of the United Nations also. As developed countries are apparently not very much concerned with Millennium Development Goals, attention of other countries is also diverted from MDGs to other issues like security. It is natural that the destination of development of developing and under developed countries will be different from economically advanced countries. So, the developing, least developed and under developed countries should identify their own goals. The government of the countries of South Asia must be aware of MDGs because these goals reflect the need of the mass people in this region. The 13th SAARC summit will take place in Bangladesh next month. As the concept of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation was first introduced by Bangladesh, it can play a leading role in making a strategy to achieve the MDGs in South Asian countries. Developing countries should extend their cooperation to achieve the goals. Agreement on South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) was signed in Islamabad during the 12th Summit. After implementation (January, 2006) of SAFTA, it is expected that it will increase the trade in this region from 4 percent to 60 percent. We hope the 13th SAARC summit will also present us with something special to help MDGs to be achieved in this region Ummee Saila is a freelance writer.
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