Fiji Government Commits To Accelerating Progress On MDGs

Fiji Government Commits To Accelerating Progress On MDGs.

17 May 2012 (Suva, Fiji) - With only two and a half years remaining before the deadline for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Government of Fiji is making a concerted effort to accelerate progress by focusing on the targets and indicators that Fiji is lagging behind.

According to Fiji’s second National MDGs Report launched in 2010, Fiji has made progress towards MDG 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education; MDG 4: Reduce Child Mortality and MDG 5: Reduce Maternal Health. The Report also suggests that it will be a major challenge to achieve MDG 1: Eradicate Poverty and Hunger; MDG 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women, and MDG 6: Combat HIV/AIDS and other Major Diseases.

As part of efforts to promote greater dialogue and advocacy within the Government and amongst development partners like the United Nations for the achievement of the MDGs, a National MDGs workshop hosted by the Ministry of Strategic Planning, National Development and Statistics in collaboration with the United National Development Programme (UNDP) is currently underway in Suva.

The purpose of the workshop is to update the MDGs data since Fiji’s last MDG Report was completed in 2010. It is hoped that the data collected on the specific indicators and targets of the MDGs will be updated on an annual basis, and to provide planners and decision-makers with a monitoring tool for assessment of the impacts of the various policies and strategies in place and their effectiveness.

Discussions will also focus on current government policies and programmes in place, the challenges that are hindering progress and propose solutions to achieve the MDGs.

The two-day workshop ends on 18 May.

ENDS

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