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Arab Millennium Development Goals Report 2013 Confronting the Challenges and Looking Beyond 2015

23 September 2013
New York

Statement by Ms. Rima Khalaf
Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations
Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)
Chairperson of the United Nations Regional Coordination Mechanism (RCM) for the Arab States

at the launching of the
Arab Millennium Development Goals Report 2013
Confronting the Challenges and Looking Beyond 2015

New York, 23 September 2013

Excellency Mr. Nabil Al-Arabi, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States,
Excellency Mrs. Sima Bahous, Chairperson of the United Nations Regional Development Group for the Arab States,
Excellencies Ambassadors and permanent representatives to the United Nations,
Distinguished colleagues, representatives of United Nations agencies, our partners in development,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my pleasure to be here today to launch the Arab Millennium Development Goals Report 2013. Once again, we are gathered for the cause of development, the legitimate right of every human being, and the only path to adopt in order to transition from conflict to stability, and from deprivation to economic, social, and intellectual well-being.

The Report you have before you presents the progress made by the Arab Region in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) since 1990. It highlights the achievements made thus far, identifies the shortcomings, and puts forward the Region’s vision on a plan for development beyond 2015. Allow me to give you a brief overview of the contents of the report, the numerous achievements recently made in the Region, and the work that still needs to be done in the future given the critical circumstances our Region is going through.

The Report gives an account of the significant achievements made by a number of Arab countries with respect to literacy and primary education enrolment rates, as well as the significant progress made in promoting gender equality in education at all levels. There is no doubt that the large investments made in education over the past decades have paved the way for this progress which augurs well for achieving the goals of universal primary education and gender equality in this area. The Report also shows that the Region has been able to reduce child mortality rates and improve maternal health, an achievement that allows for realizing many goals related to the health and well-being of society.

However, the gains in education and health did not include all countries of the Region, some of which witnessed stagnation or even a reversal in these indicators, especially those that have recently suffered from conflicts and instability, like Iraq, Sudan and Syria, let alone Palestine, which remains a unique example in our Region and the world. The Israeli occupation, through its arbitrary procedures, continues to undermine the capacities of the Palestinian people, and to destroy all hope for them to develop and thrive, since they are deprived of the basic right to an independent state on their land and to self-determination as recognized by international law for all the peoples of the world.

In the Region as a whole, the achievements made are threatened by worrying indicators, which may undermine what has been achieved. The figures indicate that unemployment rates in 2013 are higher than they were in 1990. One quarter of Arab youth and one-fifth of Arab women today are deprived of decent work.

The figures also indicate unprecedented rates of malnutrition in the region now affecting 50 million people, compared to 30 million in 1990. The water crisis has worsened in some Arab countries, which now suffer from an acute shortage of drinking water. Indicators of women's participation in politics remain low in most Arab countries, which only reflect the inability to build on the gains achieved by women in education and health.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Comparing the Arab region to other developing regions of the world, we find blessings worthy of mention. It is the Region of the world affected the least by extreme poverty. But when we compare the level of poverty in the Region today to what it was a quarter of a century ago, we find little improvement. Poverty rates, which have decreased in many developing regions of the world, remain at the same level in the Arab region since 1990. This is despite the increase in per capita income during that period. This indicates unequal distribution of developmental gains, which may undermine political and social stability. And the evidence is more than clear in this regard.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
This may be our last chance before the end mark of 2015 to assess our progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, but it is certainly not our last opportunity to achieve our developmental goals. Development is a continuous and comprehensive process, which will not stop in 2015. It will continue within a new framework, which we hope will be directed towards achieving greater well-being for all humanity, making challenging ambitions a reality, and filling our lives with significant achievements.

To this end, the Report calls for the adoption of a new development paradigm that transcends the purely economic outlook, a paradigm that joins the economic, social, and political in identifying the problem and finding the solution. This may be best served through governance reform, which was not addressed by the framework of the Millennium Development Goals. This missing dimension may explain what we have recently witnessed, which at first appeared confusing for those with a purely economic outlook. The countries that made the most significant progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals are those countries that are witnessing unprecedented massive popular movements calling for a new social contract and new political systems where freedom, dignity and social justice prevail.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
We hope that this Report will offer a vision of beyond 2015, and will allow us to reflect on ways to achieve development that ensure a decent and dignified life for all, in freedom and with a sense of well-being that promotes creativity and productivity. This is the only true measure of the success of any system, and the real wealth of any nation.

Thank you.

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