DOHA: Qatar’s fifth and latest report on the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals has identified the relatively low political and economic participation of Qatari women as a major challenge in achieving the goals.
The high level of green house gas emissions is another challenge highlighted by the report, issued by the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics in collaboration with the Diplomatic Institute at the Foreign Ministry.
The report highlights the accomplishments of the country related to the Millennium Development Goals as well as the challenges as the UN is expected to announce the new Development Goals after September this year.
The report is divided into eight sections: eliminating poverty, primary education for all, gender equality and women empowerment, reduce child mortality, promote maternal health, fighting HIV/Aids and other diseases, sustainable environment, international partnership in development.
The report says that there is remarkable development in achieving gender equality. Females have been given opportunities for education in all school grades as well as university level. The number of Qatari females in universities are more than Qatari males. However, participation of Qatari women in the job market is low. This remains a challenge and there is need to encourage women to enter non-traditional scientific professions, said the report.
Another challenge is to strengthen the political participation of Qatari women, which is still low. There is a need to put a plan to improve their level of representation in elected national councils in future.
In fighting poverty, there are no challenges remaining, said the report. Qatar could provide good living conditions to all citizens through ensuring a source of livelihood or through social security to those who don’t have a source of income.
As for primary education for all, Qatar is close to achieve this goal. More than 92 per cent of the Qatari children — boys and girls — have been enrolled in primary schools.
Qatar has achieved two-third of the goals in reducing mortality among children under five years through setting up special paediatric clinics in almost all health centres and vaccination campaigns against infectious diseases that have covered all Qatari children.
Qatar has surpassed the goals related to maternal health and reduced maternal deaths by three-fourth. All child deliveries take place under specialist doctors with all heath services being made available to Qatari women.
Qatar has achieved the Development Goals in combating Aids, malaria and other diseases. It prevented the spread of malaria, making the country free of the disease and reduced the spread of tuberculosis (TB) by 50 percent.
As for HIV/Aids, Qatar is providing all medicine to Aids patients and continues efforts to curb the entry and spread of this deadly disease as the country is witnessing a huge influx of foreign workers.
In sustainable environment, most goals have been achieved by providing the Qatari and expatriate population with safe drinking water and appropriate drainage system. The country has provided appropriate housing units to all citizens but the only challenge remains is the high level of greenhouse gas emissions in the country.
Qatar needs to tackle this challenge by adopting an environment policy to encourage the use of clean energy.
In international partnership for development, the country has provided aid to more than 110 countries in Asia and Africa and opened trade with more than 160 countries. “Despite the achievements we cannot deny there are some challenges related to some social behaviours that should be changed and bring about a suitable course for social development by involving all segments of the society in the development process,” the report said.
The Peninsula
