Egypt Announces Significant Progress Towards Achieving its Millennium Development Goals

Egypt halves number of people living in extreme poverty five years before 2015 deadline

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Egyptian Ministry of Economic Development, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), yesterday launched its latest Report on "Egypt's progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals."

Five years before the 2015 deadline, the Report shows that Egypt has made significant progress in the fields of poverty reduction, education, gender equality, and health.

The Report underlines that Egypt's success has been achieved despite the global financial crisis and a decrease in aid from donor countries.

Poverty

Egypt has already reached its 2015 target of halving the number of people living in extreme poverty (income less than $1.25 a day).  This is the result of the Egyptian Government's success in stimulating the economy and adopting pro-poor policies.  

Egypt is also on track to reach its target of halving the proportion of people who suffer from hunger by 2015.

• National programmes targeting the poorest villages and the most-vulnerable households have resulted in a sharp decrease in the proportion of the population living in extreme poverty from almost 8.2% in 1990 to 3.4% currently (2008/2009).
• Real household consumption per capita grew at about 3% per annum in line with an annual growth rate of around 7%. This has been reflected in almost 3 percentage-point decline in the poverty incidence between 2005 and 2008.
• The percentage of children under five years of age who are under weight has significantly declined during the period 1992-2008 from 9.9% to 6.2% in 2005 and  6% in 2008. The long-term decline over the period 1992-2008 of almost 40% suggests that Egypt will meet the target by the year 2015, if relevant food subsidy programmes are expanded.

Education

A substantial increase in enrollment in primary education has already been achieved.  Egypt is on track to achieve Universal Primary Education by 2015.

• The net enrollment ratio in primary education increased from 86% in 1990 to 96% in 2008/2009.
• Around 90% of children (6-12 years) were attending school in 2008 compared to 83% in 1995. The percentage of girls (6-12 years) attending school increased by 10 percentage points in the period 1995-2008.
• The rate of illiteracy for the 15–24 age groups has also fallen and is now 15.1%: 12.1% for males and 18.2% for females.

Gender equality

Excellent progress is being made in eliminating the gender gap in education.  Enrolment of girls in secondary education has already exceeded that of boys and the elimination of the gender gap in primary education is expected before 2015.  

Egypt is also very close to closing the gender gap in literacy by 2015.

• The ratio of girls to boys in primary education increased from 81.3% in 1990/91 to 88% in 2000/01, 90.9% in 2002/03 and to 93% in 2007/08. Projections indicate that target of 100% will be reached by 2015.
• The ratio of girls to boys in secondary education increased rapidly from 77% in 1990/91 to 93% in 2000, to 104.3% in 2002/03 and to 110% in 2007/08. This means that the number of girls enrolled in general secondary education is higher than that for boys.
• The number of women who hold public office has significantly increased from 7.7 % in 1988 to 23.5% in 2003; to 24.1 % in 2008.

Health

Egypt has already made good progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals in the areas of child and infant mortality.  Egypt has already achieved the goal for reducing child mortality and is likely to reduce infant mortality to the stated target by 2015.

• The Egyptian government has been running a successful extended immunisation programmes for children since 1990. The Egypt Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) data indicated that immunisation coverage against all childhood illness has reached 92% with limited variation by region. This indicates a remarkable increase in measles coverage from 82% in 1992 EDHS to 98% in EDHS 2008.
• Egypt's achievement in reducing the maternal mortality ratio to almost 55 per 100.000 births in 2008 indicates that the 2015 goal is most likely to be achieved.
• Egypt has succeeded in rolling back malaria
• Tuberculosis is regressing

For the full report please see the links:

2010 MDGR_English_R5.pdf

www.undp.org.eg

This material is distributed by Chlopak, Leonard, Schechter & Associates on behalf of the Egyptian Press and Information Office. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC.

SOURCE Egyptian Press and Information Office