Efforts to reach MDGs lauded

A high official of the Unicef has praised the government for keeping Bangladesh on track to reach some important million development goals (MDGs) such as reduction of child mortality, tackling of under-nutrition and enrollment in primary education.
The appreciation came from Daniel Toole, the newly appointed regional director of Unicef for South Asia, when he paid separate call on Foreign Affairs Adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury and Finance Adviser M Azizul Islam in the capital yesterday.
During the meetings, Toole informed them of Unicef's plan to hold an All Asia Meeting on Neonatal, Child and Maternal Health in Dhaka later in the year.
“Child health continues to pose a major challenge in the region with 3.1 million children dying before their fifth birthday in South Asia alone,” he added.
Toole urged the government to invest greater efforts in other sectors such as maternal mortality, gender disparity and access to safe water and sanitation, where progress towards meeting the MDGs remain slow.
Indeed, without significant progress in South Asia, the world will fail to achieve the MDGs, he added.
Referring to Unicef's longstanding relationship with Bangladesh, the regional director thanked the foreign and finance advisers for the continued support and leadership that Unicef received in implementing programmes for improving the lives of children and women.
“Unicef is deeply concerned on the short- and long- term impact of recurring emergencies that Bangladesh had to endure in 2007 on children's health, education and protection. Children and women often bear the worst brunt of emergencies,” he added.
“I would like to express Unicef's solidarity with the flood- and cyclone- affected people. I also want to reiterate that Unicef is always ready to support the government to provide the best possible opportunities for children especially in time of emergencies,” Toole said.
During his stay in the capital, the regional director will attend the inaugural session of the Regional Policy-Makers' Symposium on Social Protection to be organised by Unicef Regional Office for South Asia from April 15 to 17.
About 70 participants from eight countries including senior government officials, representatives of international NGOs and cooperation agencies, and researchers and experts from leading academic institutions, are expected to take part in the symposium.
An American national, Daniel Toole took the office as Unicef Regional Director for South Asia in December 2007.
Based in Kathmandu, he is responsible for overall policy and programme coherence and regional as well as global advocacy for Unicef in South Asia.
Before coming to South Asia, Toole served four years as director of the office of emergency programmes at Unicef Headquarters in New York.
He also served in many senior positions over the years including deputy executive director and Unicef representative in Mali and Rwanda.