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MANILA, Philippines, June 28, 2010—The Philippines did not make the list of the top 20 countries cited for their overall progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a report released by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and the United Nations Millennium Campaign revealed.

The MDGs are a set of time-bound, concrete and specific goals to reduce extreme poverty, illiteracy and disease that 189 leaders committed to achieve by 2015. These goals are: 1) end extreme poverty and hunger; 2) achieve universal primary education; 3) promote gender equality and empower women; 4) reduce child mortality; 5) improve maternal health; 6) combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; 7) ensure environmental sustainability; and, develop a global partnership for development.

According to the MDG Report Card, the top 20 countries that have made the most overall progress on the MDGs are: Benin, Mali, Ethiopia, Gambia, Malawi, Vietnam, Uganda, Nepal, India, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Honduras, Mauritania, Ghana, China, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Togo. The release of the MDG Report Card was made in time for the G-8 and G-20 world leaders meeting in Canada.

The analysis contrasts national-level progress in absolute terms, as distinct from progress relative to global MDG targets.

Absolute progress measures the overall progress of countries. For instance, which countries have reduced the largest share of the population living in extreme poverty or increased primary school enrolment rates by the largest number of percentage points.

Relative progress assesses how close countries have come to achieve specific MDG targets, for example, which countries have come closest to halving child mortality, or to closing the gap in achieving universal primary education.

The MDG Report shows that low-income countries, especially in Africa, tend to rank top in absolute progress, while middle-income countries tend to do better in closing the gap. Although both measures are designed to gauge MDG progress particularly in low-income countries, progress in absolute terms at the national level provides a fuller picture of developments by revealing significant differences in each country’s performance from the 1990 baseline year and since the adoption of the Millennium Declaration in 2000.

“Many of the world’s poorest countries are, in absolute terms, actually making significant progress towards achieving the MDGs, contrary to some misleading and negative reports,” said Minar Pimple, Acting Director of the UN Millennium Campaign. “Eleven of the 20 countries in the list are, in fact, among Africa’s poorest countries, such as Ethiopia, Uganda, Gambia, Rwanda, and Mali.”
The MDG Report Card cites political leadership, accountability, adequate budgetary allocation for the goals, and active citizen participation as among key contributors to the success of the top 20 countries. It focuses on progress towards Goals 1, 4 and 5.

While the Asia-Pacific region as a whole is an early achiever for a number of indicators, the Philippines in particular has much work to be done as it remains off track in more than 40% of the 21 indicators.

Poverty incidence among population in the Philippines increased to 32.9% in 2006 from 30% in 2003, with the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) posting the highest incidence at 61.8%. Poverty incidence among families also worsened from 24.4% in 2003 to 26.9% in 2006. With the aftermath of the global economic slowdown, typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng in 2009, and the El Nino phenomenon, a further worsening of poverty is anticipated in the 2009 poverty estimates.

Another MDG where the Philippines is lagging is improving maternal health or Goal 5. The Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development Foundation, Inc. (PLCPD) reported that the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) continues to worsen with 162 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births. Eleven Filipino women die every 24 hours from pregnancy and childbirth complications.

Despite the Philippines’ absence from the list, the country has actually made significant progress in Goal 4 of reducing child mortality. Infant and under-five mortality rates have been steadily decreasing since 1990, according to the National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS). The infant mortality rate in 2008 was 25 per 1,000 live births, very nearly closing the gap with the target of reducing infant deaths to 19 by 2015. The Philippines had also consistently managed to bring the infant mortality numbers down from 80 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 34 deaths in 2008.

According to Jacqui Badcock, UN Resident Coordinator, “The Philippines may not have made it to the Top 20 list, but this does not mean hope is lost. If some of the poorest countries in Africa are making progress, we have no doubt that the Philippines can also make it happen.”

“All we need is government commitment, and a proactive and sustained nationwide advocacy to keep government actions and intentions aligned with the MDGs,” Badcock said.

A full copy of the report can be downloaded from http://ph.one.un.org/mdgs_report_card.html.