Nauru launches first MDGs Report
30 October 2012 (Nauru) – For one of the world’s smallest countries, beset by many challenges, Nauru has been
congratulated for releasing its first Nauru Progress Report 1990-2011. The report documents the progress made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), highlighting Nauru’s
achievements in universal basic education, reducing maternal mortality, providing universal access to treatment for
HIV/AIDS, halting and reversing the spread of tuberculosis, providing access to essential drugs, and making the benefits
of new technology more accessible to all.
The Report, launched last week, highlights that there is potential to accelerate progress in terms of reducing child
mortality and improving access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. More focused interventions are required in
terms of promoting gender equality in leadership positions, improving access to reproductive health care, reducing the
prevalence of non-communicable diseases, reducing biodiversity loss and dealing comprehensively with debt problems to
make debt more sustainable in the long term.
The recommendations proposed in the Report include: implementing sustainable income generating opportunities and
adequate social protection services for the poor and vulnerable; including creating an enabling environment for girls,
youths, and women’s participation in the local market economy, greater attention on neo-natal health and improving
education on reproductive health including family planning, promoting regular exercise and healthy nutrition; as well as
establishing and maintaining the necessary foundations for good governance across all levels of decision making.
The United Nations Resident Coordinator and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative, Knut
Ostby sent a congratulatory message for the launch. “In the context of Nauru, it is encouraging to note that the MDGs
have been embedded in the revised National Sustainable Development Strategy as key development priorities for Nauru,”
said Mr Ostby in the message which was delivered on his behalf by UNDP’s Environment Analyst, Emma Mario.
“Improving the quality and availability of data is important for developing effective policies to advance towards the
MDGs. Costing of the required MDG related programmes in the form of Medium Term Budgeting Frameworks is another crucial
element. This requires adequate capacity to plan, cost and resource the development process around short and longer-term
targets. A focus on pro-poor and gender sensitive policy formulation and budgeting is essential to ensure that those at
the lower end of the social strata are suitably targeted.”
Mr Ostby’s message also acknowledged the guidance and contributions provided by the National MDG Taskforce as well as
from government departments, non-state actors, the private sector, UN agencies and other development partners which has
added much value to the analysis of MDG progress, challenges and recommendations for the way forward.
The report Nauru Progress Report 1990-2011 can be accessed here.
ENDS