Analysis of MDGs and SDGs in Kenya and Bangladesh Paper Example

Introduction

Millennium development goals (MDGs) are targets that all United Nations member states agreed to work towards achieving by the year 2015. A total of 191 world leaders committed to the agreement by signing United Nations Millennium Declaration in September 2000. Every MDG is interconnected to and directly influences health and vice versa. For instance, attainment of gender equality is critical in achieving better health. Additionally, reducing child mortality is directly linked to the current and future health of a population (World Health Organization, 2015). Of the eight MDGs, this paper analyses the progress and performance of Kenya and Bangladesh regarding gender equality and women empowerment as well as child mortality before and after the year 2015.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Understanding the Issues in Kenya and Bangladesh

Reducing Child Mortality in Bangladesh

A child's health condition has a direct correlation with how productive he or she becomes in adulthood. To realize future development goals, the government of Bangladesh deemed it fit to reduce the number of infant deaths and ailments to the bare minimum. This move was mainly effected through immunization and use of inexpensive indigenous products such as zinc to treat common childhood diseases such as diarrhea. These interventions were so effective that they were replicated in many developing nations all over the world (General Economics Division, 2013).

Gender Equality and Women Empowerment in Kenya

Gender inequality is a form of social injustice that has been around the scene in Kenya since the beginning of time. It is a state in which people are treated differently due to their gender. In Kenya, women and girls are perceived as lesser beings than their counterparts. This belief was fueled by religious and cultural heritage as well as long-defined gender roles and stereotypes that have persisted till today in some parts of the country (Ministry of Devolution and Planning, 2012).

Major religions in Kenya (Christianity and Islam) require women to be submissive and respectful to their husbands. Besides, cultural beliefs for the Kenyan communities put the position of women second to that of men and give distinctive roles to the two genders. For instance, women are known to be caretakers at home, while the men work to take care of them. These beliefs expose women to so much vulnerability and abuse that the call for gender equality can no longer be contained in an effort to alleviate the situation (Ministry of Devolution and Planning, 2012).

Efforts to Address the Issues

Bangladesh

Bangladesh government established community clinics throughout the country where anyone could easily access quality health care. Besides, a Health and Population Sector Programme was developed to provide Essential Service Package to the poor, children, and women. In 2011, another program called HPNSDP was introduced to ensure that quality healthcare was available for everyone in communities. At the same time, formulation and implementation of strategies were also instrumental in lowering instances of child deaths. The population policy which was passed in 1976 aided in educating families on children's health and family planning methods. Also, the drug policy was introduced in 1982 to help in the production of drugs that matched local needs at affordable costs (General Economics Division, 2013).

Kenya

The government of Kenya has implemented certain intervention strategies to alleviate the plight of the Kenyan women. In 2000, the National Policy on Gender and Development was introduced to aid in identifying any form of discrimination in line with the customary law, law of succession, citizenship, and cultural practices that discriminate women. This policy helped in highlighting the concerns of Kenyans, particularly the women in the development process (Ministry of Devolution and Planning, 2014).

In 2001, the Children's Act was passed into law (United Nations Development Program, 2005). This law helped in addressing child-related issues such as early marriages, female genital mutilation, sexual exploitation, prostitution, harmful drugs, child labor and rights to access education, legal assistance, and medical care. In 2003, the government introduced free primary education, which offered equal basic education to both boys and girls and reduced gender disparity in primary school enrolment. In 2010, affirmative action was passed to law, thus ensuring that the government implements policies and programs that enable women to access education, employment, positions in governance, equal political rights, and further protects them from discrimination, exploitation, and abuse (Ministry of Devolution and Planning, 2014).

Importance of Addressing the Goals

Kenya

Sustainable economic development is a concept which embraces economic development, social development, and environmental protection. Working towards gender equality and women empowerment is key in enhancing the position of women in poverty reduction, equitable resource distribution, improving quality of life, safeguarding the environment, promoting female entrepreneurs, and driving economic progress, all of which promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, innovation, and infrastructure development (Ministry of Devolution and Planning, 2012).

Bangladesh

Saving young lives is securing a future for them. Ideally, a society that does not invest in the lives of the children is a dead society. The Bangladeshi government together with the rest of the world understands this concept and works towards securing a healthy and prosperous future by saving as many children's lives as innovative interventions can allow (General Economics Division, 2016).

Targets of the MDGs

Bangladesh

The Bangladesh government worked towards reducing under-5 mortality rate per 1000 live births and infant mortality rate (below a year) per 1000 live births by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015. It also targeted 100% immunization of 1-year-old children against measles (Rahman, 2013).

Kenya

The Kenyan government aimed at ending all kinds of discrimination and violence against women and girls all over the country. Harmful cultural practices such as female genital mutilation and early marriages are among pressing issues that were targeted to stop. It also focused on the recognition and valuation of domestic work through social protection policies that promote shared responsibility within the household as deemed appropriate nationally and ensuring that women are accorded equal participation and opportunities in leadership and ownership of property (Ministry of Devolution and Planning, 2014).

Indicators of the MDGs

Kenya

Indicators to gender equity are as follows:

• Presence of legal frameworks in place to encourage, impose, and evaluate equality and non-discrimination of gender.
• The number of women in relationships and girls aged at least 15 years who are victims of physical, sexual, or psychological violence by an intimate partner in the previous 12 months.
• The number of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work by sex.
• The number of positions occupied by women in national parliaments and local governments.
• The number of women in managerial positions.
• The number of women aged at least 15 years who make informed decisions regarding sexual relationships, contraceptives, and reproductive health care.
• The number of women among agricultural landowners or rights-bearers of agrarian land by type of tenure.
• The number of people who own a mobile telephone by sex (Ministry of Devolution and Planning, 2014).

Bangladesh

Indicators to the level of child mortality rate are as follows:

• The rate of under-5 mortality.
• The rate of infant mortality.
• The percentage of one-year-old children immunized against measles (Rahman, 2013).

Reasons for Not Meeting the MDGs

Bangladesh

Bangladesh successfully met two of the targets for reducing child mortality rate such as under-five mortality rate (U5MR) and infant mortality rate (IMR). However, the magnitude of achievement of these indicators would be greater with continued emphasis on educating mothers and increasing per capita income. Besides, there was little effort in monitoring and assessing intervention programs to determine areas of adjustments that led to less immunization coverage (Rahman, 2013).

Kenya

The high levels of poverty especially in the rural areas and cultural practices have continued to force young girls to take up roles at home, which limit their chances of completing education like their male counterparts. The cultural practices have perpetuated ubiquitous gender stereotypes, biases, and abusive acts against women. Additionally, national education statistics indicate a low women enrolment in higher learning institutions, which translates to lower literacy levels of women compared to men. Besides, the number of women in leadership positions in the government has remained low due to high costs of conducting national campaigns, intimidation from male politicians, and political violence (Omwanda, 2014).

Post-2015 MDGs

Bangladesh

Child survival is still at the heart of Bangladesh plans of action for the year 2030. Therefore, the government developed Bangladesh Every Newborn Action Plan (BENAP) through which new-born and maternal interventions are identified and implemented accordingly. In 2016, the Health Nutrition and Population Strategic Investment Plan (HNPSIP) was prepared to continue with the unmet targets of MDG4 by providing quality and effective healthcare services to all Bangladeshis (Rahman, 2013).

Kenya

Gender equality and women empowerment through ending all forms of discrimination and violence against women is a human right, and a means for achieving sustainable development goals. If Kenya fails to empower her women through increasing their participation in governance or leadership positions, strengthening their economic empowerment, protecting their rights through easy access to justice, and strengthening their leadership in peacebuilding and humanitarian response, then the country's development blueprint of the year 2030 remains a dream. Therefore, it is in the best interest of the country to meet the indicators of gender equality and women empowerment to realize its vital development agendas (Ministry of Devolution and Planning, 2014).

References

General Economics Division. (2016, September). MDG Progress Report 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2018, from http://www.bd.undp.org/content/bangladesh/en/home/library/mdg/mdg-progress-report-2015.html

Rahman, M. A. (2013). Bangladesh Achievement and Strategy from Millennium Development Goals to Sustainable Development Goals. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.2234850

General Economics Division. (2013, June). Millennium Development Goals - UNICEF. Retrieved June 18, 2018, from https://www.unicef.org/bangladesh/MDG_Report_2012.pdf

Ministry of Devolution and Planning. (2014). MDG Status Report for Kenya 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2018, from https://www.undp.org

Omwanda. E. (2014). "Millennium Development Goals - a progress report". Retrieved June 18, 2018, from http://www.yourcommonwealth.org/youth-policy/sustainable-development-goals/millennium-development-goals-a-progress-report

Ministry of Devolution and Planning. (2012). MDG Status Report for Kenya 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2018, from https://www.undp.org/content/dam/kenya/docs/MDGs%20Report/Kenya%20MDGs%20Status%20Report%202011.pdf

World Health Organization. (2015, June 25). Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Retrieved June 18, 2018, from http://www.who.int/topics/millennium_development_goals/about/en/