It has been eleven years after the Millennium Declaration was signed and five years since heads of governments made it into goals for the year 2015. Today at the University of Belize, Belmopan campus, Belize took a look at its own progress towards achieving the goals at the local level. Altogether there are eight goals: including Eradicating Extreme Poverty and Hunger; Achieving Universal Primary Education; Promoting Gender Equality and Empowering Women; Reducing Child Mortality; Improving Maternal Health; Combating HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases; Ensuring Environmental Sustainability; and Developing Global Partnerships. And Belize’s progress on the specific issue of the goal which has to do with child mortality and maternal health.
Erwin Contreras, Minister of Economic Development
“Today we can celebrate how well the country has performed in reaching some of the goals, particularly those related to improving maternal health, reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS and ensuring access to clean water.”
Dr. Peter Allen, CEO, Ministry of Health
“In 2011 for the very first time in our history we became I think the only country in the region to achieve zero maternal deaths, this is MDG number five and again there are so many things that go into making pregnancy successful and safe; from the good staff and the good care providers who clean our hospitals to the mid wives and of course the doctors, it is a remarkable achievement.”
But while we show a significant improvement in mother and child health, UN Represent Coordinator, Roberto Valent, says that it has not been a good scorecard for Belize in the other areas of the Development Goals.
Roberto Valent, UN Resident Coordinator
“These are areas that fall under the poverty reduction and the gender issues. It is important that the next Mayors, the next parliamentarians also integrate women, women are 52% of the population, how can it be that there is not one woman within the parliament, how could it be that there is not even one woman as minister. It is extremely important that the skills and the human capital that is women is also being reflected within power structures.”
Erwin Contreras, Minister of Economic Development
“I’m referring to the challenges we face in relation to poverty reduction, employment generation, access to sanitation and gender equality. “
But while the road to achieving all eight Millennium Development Goals is still a few years away, Minister Contreras says that not only achieving, but exceeding the goals is possible and all it takes, he said is collaboration among all.
Erwin Contreras, Minister of Economic Development
“In 2015 if we all work together, government, civil society, the private sector, development partners, the media and all stakeholders, Belize would be in an even better, fairer and a more developed nation. Achieving the goals will require equitable and inclusive economic growth, growth that reaches everyone, growth that will enable all people, especially the poor and marginalized to benefit from economic opportunities.”
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