Publication: Attaining the Millennium Development Goals in India : How Likely and What Will It Take to Reduce Infant Mortality, Child Malnutrition, Gender Disparities and Hunger-Poverty and to Increase School Enrollment and Completion?
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2004-12-02
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2013-09-09
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Since the launch of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) at the Millennium Summit in New York in September 2000, the MDGs have become the most widely-accepted yardstick of development efforts by governments, donors and NGOs. The MDGs are a set of numerical and time-bound targets related to key achievements in human development. They include halving income-poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education and gender equality, reducing infant and child mortality by two-thirds and maternal mortality by three quarters, reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases, and halving the proportion of people without access to safe water. These targets are to be achieved by 2015, from their levels in 1990.
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“World Bank. 2004. Attaining the Millennium Development Goals in India : How Likely and What Will It Take to Reduce Infant Mortality, Child Malnutrition, Gender Disparities and Hunger-Poverty and to Increase School Enrollment and Completion?. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/15738 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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Publication Bangladesh : Attaining the Millennium Development Goals in Bangladesh, How Likely and What Will it Take to Reduce Poverty, Child Mortality and Malnutrition, Gender Disparities, and to Increase School Enrollment and Completion?(Washington, DC, 2005-06)This report focuses on the attainment of five major human development-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Bangladesh - consumption poverty, infant and under-five mortality, child malnutrition, schooling enrollment and completion, gender disparities in schooling. The report stipulates that of these MDGs, Bangladesh has already attained (or nearly attained) the goal relating to elimination of gender disparity in schooling opportunities. Bangladesh is the only country in South Asia (other than Sri Lanka) to have achieved parity in male and female enrollments, not just at the primary level, but also at the secondary level. The analysis in this report suggests that attainment of two other MDGs - in particular, the reduction of consumption-poverty and under-five mortality - is also feasible with a combination of interventions, including sector-specific interventions (such as expanding immunization coverage and reducing pupil-teacher ratios), economic growth, improved coverage of infrastructure, and social safety-net programs (such as the District Education Stipends Program, and the Vulnerable Group Development programs). However, it will be challenging for Bangladesh to attain the child malnutrition-related MDG, as well as the education MDGs relating to universal net primary enrollment, and primary completion. A factor that is likely to be important in explaining Bangladesh's relative success in attaining positive social outcomes is the work of its nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Bangladesh may well be the world's leader in using NGOs as vehicles of development. Yet another factor in explaining the country's success, especially its ability to eliminate gender disparity in enrollment, even at the secondary level, is the use of targeted public interventions, such as the Female Secondary School Stipend Program (FSSS). However, there are problems in attaining the MDGs, i.e., very large regional disparities, and, the problem of governance - in particular, poor service delivery. The report notes there is evidence of significant synergies among the different MDGs, i.e., a reduction in the proportion of underweight children is strongly associated with a reduction of child mortality. At the same, it needs to be realized that the different MDGs are not necessarily internally consistent. For instance, simultaneous attainment of the poverty and child malnutrition MDGs by Bangladesh would result in 30 percent of the population being poor, but 34 percent of the children being underweight. This inconsistency indicates a problem in the manner in which poverty and/or underweight thresholds are established. But the importance of systematically monitoring MDGs outcomes at disaggregated levels, and evaluating the impact of public programs cannot be overemphasized.Publication India's Undernourished Children : A Call for Reform and Action(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2006)The prevalence of child undernutrition in India is among the highest in the world; nearly double that of Sub-Saharan Africa, with dire consequences for morbidity, mortality, productivity and economic growth. Drawing on qualitative studies and quantitative evidence from large household surveys, this book explores the dimensions of child undernutrition in India and examines the effectiveness of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) program, India's main early child development intervention, in addressing it. 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This report provides compelling evidence of the potential to improve health and economic outcomes through scaling up effective nutrition interventions and introducing new proven interventions to reduce the direct causes of under nutrition in order to support the Kyrgyz government's commitment to the well-being and prosperous future of the Kyrgyz people. This situational analysis examines and quantifies the scope of under nutrition in the Kyrgyz Republic by presenting: (1) the epidemiology of under nutrition; (2) an estimate of the health consequences of under nutrition in terms of mortality and disability adjusted life years (DALYs), and the economic losses due to lost workforce and productivity; (3) the health, social protection, and agriculture and food intervention systems relevant to delivering interventions for improving nutrition; (4) the current coverage of nutrition interventions; and (5) the potential economic gains achievable by scaling up effective nutrition interventions. 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In 2009, around 29 percent of children in all regions of the country were stunted. Iodine deficiency was observed in 53 percent of children and in 58.6 percent of women. The national prevalence of anemia in children was 28.8 percent; however, rates were as high as 39.8 percent in Ghorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province and in 32 percent directly ruled districts (DRD). The prevalence of anemia among mothers was 24.2 percent. The long-term effects of these conditions negatively affect the health of adults throughout their life, as well as their potential productivity in the work force and possible economic contribution to the nation. The highest priority interventions will improve infant and young child feeding. Strengthening and scaling up breastfeeding promotion will save lives and help to reduce stunting as would complementary feeding for babies six months and older. Promoting exclusive breastfeeding for infants under six months is the most efficacious intervention to save lives, averting nearly 20 percent of deaths in children under-five. Effective programs need to be designed to make more women aware of the benefits of breastfeeding and sound nutrition. A comprehensive, multi-sector approach is needed to ensure success of these interventions. This report also makes several other recommendations including: supplementing pregnant women with either iron folic acid or multiple micronutrients, maintain twice-annually vitamin A supplementation, implementing a deworming program, support for flour fortification, scale up and maintain zinc for the management of diarrhea, and address the underlying and basic causes of undernutrition through other sectors.Publication A Closer Look at Child Mortality among Adivasis in India(2010-03-01)The authors use data from the National Family Health Survey 2005 to present age-specific patterns of child mortality among India's tribal (Adivasi) population. The analysis shows three clear findings. First, a disproportionately high number of child deaths are concentrated among Adivasis, especially in the 1-5 age group and in those states and districts where there is a high concentration of Adivasis. Any effort to reduce child morality in the aggregate will have to focus more squarely on lowering mortality among the Adivasis. Second, the gap in mortality between Adivasi children and the rest really appears after the age of one. In fact, before the age of one, tribal children face more or less similar odds of dying as other children. However, these odds significantly reverse later. This calls for a shift in attention from infant mortality or in general under-five mortality to factors that cause a wedge between tribal children and the rest between the ages of one and five. Third, the analysis goes contrary to the conventional narrative of poverty being the primary factor driving differences between mortality outcomes. Instead, the authors find that breaking down child mortality by age leads to a much more refined picture. Tribal status is significant even after controlling for wealth.
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The CCDR also outlines a path to net zero emissions by 2050 (referred to as “with mitigation” measures, “decarbonization,” or, simply, “net zero 2050”), highlighting associated development co-benefits.Publication Comoros Country Climate and Development Report(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-06-18)The Union of the Comoros (The Comoros) has significant vulnerability to climate change-related risks but has considerable opportunities to strengthen preparedness and resilience against these challenges. According to the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index, the Comoros is the 29th-most vulnerable country to climate change and the 163rd most ready to adapt (out of 191). The Comoros archipelago is exposed to many natural hazards that adversely affect the country’s natural capital, people, and physical infrastructure. In 2014, the economic cost of climate-related disasters was estimated at 5.7 million dollars annually, equivalent to 9.2 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). 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Current plans to adapt to the impacts of climate change in the Comoros include efforts to improve water management, strengthen coastal protection, and develop climate-smart agriculture practices. Given the country’s reliance on its natural resource base for economic growth and mobility, protection of these resources from climate change will be essential for promoting resilient growth and development. In addition to growing the adaptive capacity of the country’s natural resource sectors, strategic economic diversification will be important to help minimize future climate impacts, and development activities will need to be undertaken in such a way as to attract low-carbon co-benefits. The Union of the Comoros is committed to addressing climate change through its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and national priorities. 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While challenging, climate action also presents Mongolia with opportunities to achieve important development benefits. The effects of climate risks and the shift away from coal will have diverse impacts across different regions, communities, and socioeconomic levels. The report assesses the critical interconnections between Mongolia’s development ambitions and climate change action and identifies ways to transition to a more economically diversified, inclusive, and resilient development path. It highlights key climate and transition risks affecting Mongolia’s future development and presents a pathway to enhance climate mitigation and adaptation. The report also makes a case for strengthening policies to enhance resilience to climate change and ensure a just transition, particularly for the most vulnerable. The report is structured as follows: section 1 gives introduction. Section 2 delves into the linkages between development and climate in Mongolia and presents model-based findings on the economic and poverty impacts of climate change under different scenarios. Section 3 covers four in-depth sectoral analyses. The first two mainly focus on adaptation to climate change in the agriculture and water sectors. The third considers prospects for the extraction sector, while the fourth sectoral analysis focuses on decarbonizing power and heat generation. Section 4 shifts the focus to how the government can boost resilience for climate-vulnerable populations. Section 5 outlines options for mobilizing private and public financing and private investments to support the green transition. Section 6 examines the existing institutional and governance structure for climate action and presents recommendations to improve its effectiveness, and section 7 concludes with a framework for prioritizing the policy actions outlined in this report.Publication Guinea-Bissau Country Climate and Development Report(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-23)Guinea-Bissau is endowed with a wealth of natural resources, with the highest natural capital per capita in West Africa (US3,874 dollars per capita), which could be leveraged for sustainable and resilient growth. However, Guinea-Bissau faces significant development hurdles, such as high poverty rates, political instability, and economic challenges, including an over-reliance on cashew nuts. Rural poverty has increased, and the nation's infrastructure, education, and health care systems are underdeveloped. Climate change poses a severe threat, potentially impacting agriculture, fisheries, and infrastructure. 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The transition to a more sustainable and inclusive development pathway that supports economic growth is possible, but requires focusing on key strategic sectors, enhancing institutional capacity, and creating the conditions to mobilize finance. As a highly vulnerable country, there are myriad needs in the different sectors; however, to be more efficient and effective, Guinea-Bissau should prioritize actions in a few sectors, especially actions on biodiversity, agriculture, and social protection. 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Prepared by the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), CCDRs integrate country perspectives, climate science and economic modeling, private sector information, and policy analysis to assess how countries can successfully grow and develop their economies and create jobs despite increasing climate risks and while achieving their climate objectives and commitments. Each CCDR starts from the country’s development priorities, opportunities, and challenges, and is developed in close consultation with governments, businesses, and civil society, ensuring the recommendations reflect national priorities. By combining evidence on adaptation, resilience, and emissions pathways, CCDRs highlight where climate action can reinforce development and job creation, and where targeted policies are needed to manage risks and smooth labor market transitions. Taken together, these elements can help create local jobs, ensure economic transitions are just and inclusive, and equip workers and firms to navigate the disruptions and opportunities of a changing climate and changing technologies.