Latest progress

The headline goal of halving poverty by 2015 has always sounded audacious. Whether it is reached or not, it always will [1]. Goal 1, which aims to eradicate extreme hunger as well, has a number of targets and indicators of progress [2]. Progress has been encouraging in alleviating economic poverty [3]. The growth of the economies of China and India has made the global target more attainable with less than 5 years left to run. Even with the global economic crisis, the expectation is that the 2015 targets will be met in some of the most populus areas in the world.

However, the official 2010 MDG report shows that sub-Saharan Africa still lags behind, and is in danger of missing the targets, although there are notable exceptions (e.g. Uganda [4]). Western Asia now has more mouths to feed than before the MDGs were signed. For the goal to halve undernourishment to be met, we need to see 500 million less people going hungry in the next 5 years [5]. The progress towards reducing hunger is not good, mainly due to hikes in food prices [6].

The UN run a long standing Food and Agriculture Program, supporting schemes that work over lengthy periods of time with local communities. The long-term thinking underpinning such schemes has great benefit. Implementing infrastructure, such as wells in rural villages, helps to irrigate farms that previously failed to produce due to drought. Building good roads to distant communities helps get the food to market before it goes off. However, these schemes cost large amounts of money [8].

Some countries have seen enormous progress in the past decade. Vietnam’s economic progress has been such that some commentators in the country have suggested the MDGs have not been ambitious enough [9]. The same people acknowledge they will always have to work to eradicate hunger, even though it is now a middle-income country.

Ghana has hopes of moving to middle-income status [10], but still follows the trend of much of sub-Saharan Africa as high unemployment continues to stymie economic development [11]. The article suggests that the provision of jobs (one of the MDG 1 indicators) holds the key to relative economic prosperity and can turn Ghana’s hopes into reality. At the personal level, this would mean fewer empty stomachs.

The International Labour Organisation conclude that much can be done in countries to improve numbers of decent jobs by strengthening public sector governance as this helps to scale up projects that are working to provide employment. MDG 1a is projected to be met by 2015 but is severely threatened by the financial crisis, as jobs are harder to find, and economy growth begins to slow or shrink [12]. If achieved, it is good news, yet it is predicted that over 900 million people will still live below the poverty line. The work will have to go on.

[1] International Labour Organsisation

[2] Goals and Indicators

[3] UN MDG Report

[4] Uganda High Commission Report

[5] Mercopress report

[6] International Labour Organsisation

[7] Salvation Army project

[8] Sierra Leone report

[9] Vietnam report

[10] IMF report on Ghana

[11] Ghana progress analysis