Hospitals & Asylums

The 2010 World Atlas: MDGs 1990-2015 and the 2009 Factbook

By Anthony J. Sanders

Economic growth, around 3.5% since 1946, contracted 0.8% in 2009 and global trade plummeted nearly 25% from 2008 levels, the largest single year drop since WWII. Purchasing power parity of GWP dropped to $70.29 trillion (2009 est.) from $70.84 trillion (2008 est.) and the official exchange rate GWP was $58.07 trillion U.S. dollars. Per capita income retreated about 2% to $10,500 (2009 est.) from $10,700 (2008 est.) as global unemployment rose from 7% in 2008 to nearly 9% in 2009 while underemployment, especially in the developing world, remained much higher. The number of hungry people rose from 700 million to a record high of 1.2 billion. The IMF reports economic growth to be stable at 1.7% in the first quarter and 3.2% in the second quarter of 2010. The UN Millennium Development Goal Report 2009 brings into question whether Goal 1 to halve poverty, <$1 day, from 45.5% in 1990 to 22.75% in 2015, has been jeopardized by the recession. In 2007, only 21.5% were extremely poor, however the recession plunged 100 million more people below $1 a day and poverty increased to 22.9%, so in 2009 Goal 1 was not achieved. Both 90% primary school enrollment rate and 50% reduction in people needing water are both achievable at current rates of growth. The AIDS drugs arrived and rates of infection and death went down. To achieve all the health related goals the utility bill for water and sewage connections must be paid, folic acid multi-vitamins are damned. The short term plan for 2010 is for the bailouts to cease and ODA to exceed the $154 billion committed. The long term plan is to levy a carbon tax to finance eco-friendly water, sewage and electricity (solar) connections in slums by 2030. The medium term plan to finance the MDGs for 2015 is for the U.S. Dollar and Euro basket to experimentally appreciate developing nation currencies - equalizing exchange rate GDP with purchasing power parity GDP rate, in pursuit income equality and more purchasing (selling) power so:

US $ per XR (¦) Þ GDP XR = GDP PPP

¦ = ( GDP PPP – GDP EX ) + 1

GDP EX

According to the CIA World Factbook, hereafter the Factbook, the world population reached 6,821,176,973 by May 15, 2010 from 6,790,062,216 in July 2009, presuming a growth rate of 1.133%. The birth rate was 19.86, death rate 8.83, and infant mortality 44.13 per 100,000. The average life expectancy was 66.12 years, 64.29 for men and 68.07 for women. The median age was 28.4, 27.7 for men and 29 years for women. Developing nations usually exhibit higher growth rates as the result of higher birth rates but they often have higher rates of infant mortality and higher rates of death, thus a young, growing population. European nations generally exhibit low growth rates, low birth rates, low infant mortality, an older population. In Eastern Europe and a few other nations the population is actually in decline. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has already been successful reducing the prevalence of HIV. Infant mortality has also gone down 10-25% in most developing nations to 44.14 globally with a high of 180.21 in Angola and low of 2.32 in Singapore. The overall literacy rate has risen to 82%, 87% for men and 77% for women however in the United States the ability of college graduates to compose prose documents has declined from 40% a decade ago to 30% in 2008. The World Prison Brief reports that in 2010 the total global penal population was 9.778 million, an average of 144 people per 100,000 were behind bars. The highest concentration of prisoners per 100,000 occurs in the Americas with (374), mostly because the United States’ (753) is the most populous and concentrated in the world, and Europe (294). The lowest rates of incarceration are in the Middle East and Central Asia (61). The Russian Republic (609) has been declining with some relapse. The state prison population declined for the first time in 30 years in 2009 although the federal penitentiary continued to grow. The US, Russian and all other legal systems over the arbitrary legal limit of 250 detainees per 100,000 need to make a concerted effort to safely commute detainees to halfway houses and compensate victims of false arrest and torture thereby reducing the prison population and staying out of trouble.

Table 1: Global Recession 2009
Nations	Territory	Population	GDP billion	Per capita Income	ODA 2008 million	Government Constitutive Documents Date of Independence
	World Political Vital Stat Economics	6,788,879,813	70,239	$10,348	125,114 -91,102	United Nations
	South East Asia	2,203,566,902	19,173	$8,700	12,916 -9,792	Association of South East Asian Nations
25	Middle East & Central Asia	1,934,348,065	8,263	$4,272	2,124 -31,104	Organization of Islamic Conferences
45	Europe	731,782,548	18,257	$24,975	78,447 -4,186	European Union
54	Africa	991,760,344	2,835.2	$2,858	-38,806	African Union
51	America	927,421,954	21,711	$23,420	31,627 -7,214	Organization of American States
Sources: CIA World Factbook July 2009, World Prison Brief 18 March 2010, OECD Development Aid at a Glance 2010 Historical Records: HA-2010, HA-2007, HA-2006

Without any work from either myself or the UN Human Development Report whose Fighting climate change: Human solidarity in a divided world 2007/2008 conspicuously took two years, economic growth declined 0.8% in 2009. It was the first global downturn since WWII. The food and fuel crises in 2007-2008 and the global financial and economic crisis of 2009 pushed 100 million people in low-income countries into poverty as a result of a doubling of food prices. The number of hungry people worldwide rose from 842 million in 1990-1992 to 873 million in 2004-2006 and to 1.02 billion people during 2009, the highest level ever. The IMF assures us however that global economic recovery is stable with 1.7% growth in the first quarter and 3.2% in the second quarter of 2010. The credit crisis affected both industrialized and developing nations. Its primary characteristic was a panic amongst foreign occupying powers, who, struggling with high oil prices and opiate relieving pain and social breakdown from the conquerors of the Soviet Union, spuriously decided to nationalize several banks, squandering the sovereign immunity from bankruptcy on the large banking corporations the prior administration laundered his funds with, at great expense to the free market. The side effects of the bank nationalizations valued at $4 trillion in 2009, and $1 trillion in 2010, were immediate massive flights of capital from the stock markets, quickly leading to layoffs and high unemployment, negative economic growth and record government spending and budget deficits valued at 7% of GWP in 2009. By strengthening industrialized currencies, instead of devaluating to offset the printing of money, the crisis was not only devastating to international trade, that dropped 25%, but spread to developing nations, who without the resources to bail out their financial sectors nor a social safety net for the unemployed, could not compete. Liberal democracies must compensate those emerging markets marginalized by the market distortion.

Table 2: Top 20 Losers of 2009, in billions
#	Country	GDP PPP	Growth Rate	Loss Value	#	Country	GDP	Growth Rate	Loss Value
1	United States	14,260	-2.4%	342.24	11	Netherlands	654.9	-3.9%	25.54
2	Japan	4,137	-5.3%	219.26	12	Romania	255.4	-7.2%	18.39
3	Russia	2,116	-7.9%	167.16	13	Sweden	333.5	-4.4%	14.67
4	Germany	2,811	-5%	140.55	14	Finland	182.6	-7.6%	13.88
5	United Kingdom	2,149	-4.8%	103.15	15	Ireland	176.9	-7.5%	13.27
6	Mexico	1,482	-6.5%	96.33	16	Hungary	184.9	-6.7%	12.39
7	Italy	1,760	-4.8%	84.48	17	Belgium	381	-3.1%	11.81
8	Spain	1,368	-3.6%	49.25	18	Austria	323.1	-3.5%	11.31
9	Ukraine	294.3	-14.1%	41.50	19	Czech Republic	256.6	-4.1%	10.52
10	Canada	1,285	-2.5%	32.13	20	Venezuela	350.1	-2.9%	10.15
Source: World Economics HA-2010

To analyze the 0.8% global economic contraction of 2009, 83 of 211 reporting nations exhibited negative GDP growth.

The biggest GDP losses of 2009 occurred in Eastern Europe, Latvia (-17.8%), Lithuania (-15%) and Estonia (-14.1%)

EU members, Ukraine (-14.1%), Moldova (-7.7%) and Russia (-7.9%).  Many major economies exhibited significantly

negative economic growth, Finland (-7.6%), Ireland (-7.5%), Mexico (-6.5%), Japan (-5.3%), Germany (-5.0%), United

Kingdom (-4.8%), and Italy (-4.8%), United Arab Emirate (-3.5%), Canada (-2.5%), the United States (-2.4%), France

(-2.2%) and Greece (-2%).  The United States reported the biggest loss in dollar value, a GDP $342.24 billion less than

in 2008, Japan came in second losing $29.26 billion and Russia came in third losing $167.16 billion.  The GDPs of the

top 20 losers had a combined value of $34.8 trillion, 49.5% of GWP.  The total GDP loss suffered by this group of 20

was $1.4 trillion, 4.1% of group GDP and 1.9% of GWP.  As a whole developing nations exhibited strong growth

despite a decline in world oil and commodity prices, Azerbaijan (+32.5%), Qatar (+9.5%), China (+8.7%), Vietnam

(+7.8%), India (+6.5%), Djibouti (+6.4%) and Indonesia (+4.5%) recorded the biggest gains, while growth continued

in least developed countries.  Note, the exchange rate devaluation was unfair and GDP purchasing power and per capita

income, in many developing nations, declined although their economic growth rates were positive.

Table 3: 20 Biggest Borrowers of 2009, in billions
#	Country	Deficit	Deficit % GDP	Debt % GDP	GDP Ex. rate	#	Country	Deficit	Deficit % GDP	Debt % GDP	GDP Ex. rate
1	United States	-1,701	-11.8%	52.9%	14,430	11	Netherlands	-37.1	-5%	62.2%	799
2	Japan	-383	-7.5%	192.1%	5,108	12	Greece	-36.5	-11%	113.4%	342.2
3	United Kingdom	-312.1	-14%	68.5%	2,224	13	Korea, South	-35.7	-4.4	28%	809.7
4	France	-216	-8.1%	79.7%	2,666	14	Turkey	-35.5	-5.8%	48.5%	608
5	China	-164.7	-3.4%	18.2%	4,814	15	Australia	-34.8	-3.7%	18.6%	930.8
6	Germany	-142	-4.3%	77.2%	3,273	16	Canada	-32.7	-2.4%	72.3%	1,335
7	Spain	-115.9	-7.9%	50%	1,466	17	Ireland	-29.78	-13%	63.7%	229.4
8	Italy	-107.9	-5%	115.2%	2,114	18	Venezuela	-26.9	-7.5%	19.4%	357.6
9	India	-107.3	-9.8%	59.6%	1,095	19	Belgium	-26	-7%	99%	366.9
10	Russia	-101.3	-8.2%	6.9%	1,232	20	Mexico	-19.6	-28%	37.7%	1,017
Source: World Economics HA-2010

Fiscal stimulus packages worth about $4 trillion in 2009, 7% of GWP, nationalized many banks in Western Europe and the

United States.  The combined global budget deficit for 2009 amounts to 7% of GWP and more than half, 125 of 236 nations,

had deficits greater than 3%.  $3.6 trillion, 90% of the $4 trillion bailout, went to the nations with the 20 largest budget deficits

in dollar value.  This group of 20’s combined GDPs totaled $45.2 trillion, 64.3% of the GWP at purchasing power and 80%

at exchange rate value.  The total budget deficit of these major economies was 8.1% of the groups total GDP and 6.6% of the

GWP.  Another $1 trillion has already been withdrawn from the free market for Spain, Portugal and Greece in 2010.

Government budgets and budget deficits have dramatically expanded, at the expense of the free market.  Declining revenues

and the costs of nationalizing banks have led to many budget deficits in Western nations exceeding the European Union limit

of 3% of GDP.  The budget deficit in the United States, 11.8% of GDP, has the highest dollar value in the world at $1,701

billion.  Japan -$383 billion (-7.5%), the United Kingdom -$312.1 billion (14%) and France -$212 billion (3.4%) followed

close behind.  The nations with the highest deficits as % of GDP were Zimbabwe (38%), Iraq (27.6%), Palestine (21.8%),

Eritrea (20%), Bhutan (19%), Afghanistan (17%), United Kingdom ((14%), the Baltic Republics, Slovakia (15.2%), 10.8%

in Latvia (11%) and the United States (11.8%).

Table 4: Regional Budget Totals, 2009
Region	GDP Ex. rate trillions	Budget Revenue billions	Budget Expense billions	Surplus Deficit billions	Deficit % GDP Ex. rate
World	54,184.4	15,463	19,385	-3,922	-7.2%
Africa	1,449.4	369.07	420.81	-51.7	-3.6%
America	16,200	3,295	5,089	-1,794	-11%
Europe	18,744	7,357	8,563	-1,206	-6.4%
Middle East and Central Asia	3,885	939.1	1,121.6	-182.5	-4.7%
South East Asia	13,906	3,502.5	4,190.4	-687.9	-0.5%
Source: World Economics HA-2010

The Great Recession of 2009 was mostly demanded by the 11.8% of GDP deficit of the United States’, valued at

$1,701 billion, driving the pan-American budget deficit to 11%, the most in the world of 7.2% deficits.  Europe had

a 6.4% deficit, Middle East and Central Asia 4.7%, Africa 3.6% leaving Asia 0.5%, alone within the 3% limit of the EU.

Governments are spending more than they are earning in revenues.  Governments have only two ways to finance the

deficit, taking investors from the stock market or by printing money.   By keeping their currency strong, to stave off

oil prices, governments decided to finance the deficit with the stock market, rather than to print the money and

devaluate to stimulate exports and manufacturing.  As a result of investment lost to capital markets labor markets

were slashed, cutting consumer income and spending and consequently government revenues  The Federal Budget

in Balance FY 2009-2012 encourages governments to calculate reasonable agency spending increases, eg. 3% per

year, from the last year the deficit was within the arbitrary limit of 3% of the GDP, as the baseline year.  States must

relinquish private holdings, reduce military spending and eliminate all offensive operations to cut spending to pre-war

levels.  America Political Economy 2010 indicates States have two sources of revenues, old-fashioned customs duties

and sales taxes or newfangled Marxist individual and corporate income taxes.  To foster a consumer economy States

must exempt the poor from income taxes to tax the incomes of the rich and the profitable corporations in the act of

making more money than their family needs.  Commodity taxes and protectionist tariffs are riskier and may constitute

a combination in restraint of trade, ie. Smoot-Hawly Tariff Act of 1932 is widely believed to have caused the last global

depression.

Table 5: Global Stock Market Values 2007-2009
	GDP PPP trillion	Unem ploy ment	Public Debt % GDP	Stock of Money trillion	Stock of Quasi Money trillions	Stock of Domestic Credit trillion	Publicly Traded Shares trillions	Exports trillions	Imports trillions	External Debt trillions	Direct Foreign Investment
2009	70.29	8.7	56%					12.09	12.03	56.9
2008	70.84	7.2	48.9%					15.94	15.99	60.83	16.36
2007	68.81			12.35	27.31	69.9	64.99				17.05
Source: CIA World Fact Book - World July 2009

Free capital resources were drained by the bailout of the industrialized financial sector. Record contractions in stock and labor

markets were reported, exacerbating the exact contraction of economic growth, subsidies were intended to ameliorate.  As

consequence to this vicious cycle, industrialized governments contracted an unhealthy interest in keeping their currency strong

and developing nation currencies were unfairly devalued.  Although growth remains strong, devaluation resulted in

disproportionately less purchasing power in many developing nations in the form of high food prices.  To offset the distorting

effects of the financial sector bailouts, beyond the reach of ODA, the only countermeasure available to developing nations and

emerging markets is to appreciate their currencies against the industrialized nation currency basket.  This would increase the

exchange rate GDP and per capita of consumers in developing nations to afford more food and industrial technology on the

international market.  Appreciation would expand industrialized markets to billions of consumers in developing nations,

stimulating growth. Nations would need to be classified into four categories, industrialized with per capita >$20,000, middle

income <$20,000 but >$10,000, developing <$10,000 and least developed <$1,000.  Industrialized nations would collectively

redress three decades of depreciation of developing nation currencies and middle income nations could decide which direction

they wish to go on the basis of their trade balance.  Economic progress caused by appreciating the exchange rate GDP would

be monitored as purchasing power parity GDP.  Although ODA would be devalued, developing nations would mathematically

have more purchasing power and the whole world would have greater exchange rate GDP.  If this experiment works currency

appreciation can hasten global economic equality in regular increments.  Although the needs of least developed nations will still

need to be met with ODA the independence of currency appreciation may prove to be a more sustainable method to make large

jumps in per capita purchasing power.  Appreciation will get us back into the grace of Goal 1.

Table 6: MDGs for 2015 Progress Report 1990 & 2005
Primary Indicator	1990	2005	Goal
Goal 1: Halve Poverty <$1 day	45.5%	21.5%	22.75%
Goal 2: Universal Primary Education	82.0%	89.0%	90.0%
Goal 3: 1.0 Gender Ratio in Education	0.89	0.96	1.00
Goal 4: Reduce Child Mortality 2/3	9.3%	6.7%	3.1%
Goal 5: Reduce Maternal Mortality 3/4	430	400	143
Goal 6: Halt & Reverse Spread of AIDS	8	33.3	<
Goal 7: Halve Lack of Access to H₂0	77%	87%	88.5%
Goal 8: Develop Global Partnership	52.7	107.1	>
Sources: UN Millennium Development Goal Report 2009

The adoption of the Millennium Declaration in 2000 by 189 States Members of the United Nations, 147 of which were represented by their Head of State, was a defining moment for global cooperation in the twenty-first century. The Declaration gave birth to a set of eight goals that break down into 21 quantifiable targets that are measured by 61 indicators, known as the Millennium Development Goals to End Poverty for 2015. The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) –have galvanized unprecedented efforts to meet the needs of the poorest. The UN Millennium Development Goal Report 2009 brings into question whether Goal 1 to halve poverty, <$1 day, from 45.5% in 1990 to 22.75% in 2015, has been jeopardized by the recession. In 2007, only 21.5% were extremely poor, however the recession plunged 100 million more people below $1 a day and poverty increased to 22.9%, so Goal 1 was not achieved in 2009. Both 90% primary school enrollment rate and 50% reduction in people needing water are both achievable if current rates of growth are sustained. The AIDS drugs arrived and rates of infection and death went down. To achieve all the health related goals the utility bill for water and sewage connections must be paid, folic acid multi-vitamins be damned. The short term plan for 2010 is for the bailouts to cease and ODA to exceed the $154 billion committed. The long term plan is to levy a carbon tax to finance eco-friendly water, sewage and electricity (solar) connections in slums by 2030. The medium term plan to finance the MDGs for 2015 is for the U.S. Dollar and Euro basket to experimentally appreciate developing nation currencies - equalizing exchange rate GDP with purchasing power parity GDP rate, in hopes of making nutritious food available at affordable prices.

Table 7: Goal 1 Number and % of People in Poverty and Hungry, 1990 & 2007
Region	Pop. Million 1990	% Pop. <$1.25 1990	Pop. <$1.25 1990	% Hungry 1990	Pop. Million 2007	% Pop <$1.25 2007	Pop. <$1.25	% Hungry 1990	% Pop <$2 2007	Pop. <$2
East Asia & Pacific	1,600	80%	1,280	15	1,912	16.8%	321	10	38.7%	740
Europe and Central Asia	400	2%	8	6	442	3.7%	16	<5	8.9%	39
Latin America and Caribbean	400	11.3%	45.2	12	556	8.2%	46	8	17.1%	95
Middle East and North Africa	200	4.3%	9	8	319	3.6%	12	8	16.9%	54
South Asia	1,100	52%	572	24	1,523	40.3%	614	21	73.9%	1,125
Sub-Saharan Africa	500	57%	285	32	819	50.9%	417	29	72.9%	597
OECD	900	0%	0%	<5	965	0%	0%	<5	0%	0
World	5,300	45.5%	2,412	16	6,620	21.5%	1,426	14	40%	2,650
Source: World Bank 2007, The Millennium Development Goals Report 2009 Goal 1 Indicator 1.1 & 1.9

The World Bank revalued poverty from living on less than US$1.25 per day (PPP) in 2005 dollars, up from $1.06 in 1990 dollars, and moderate poverty as less than $2 a day. It has been estimated that in 2008, 1.4 billion people had consumption levels below US$1.25 a day and 2.7 billion lived on less than $2 a day. The primary objective of the MDGs, Goal 1 is “Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer hunger or live in extreme poverty of less than $1 a day” the goal is broken down into three targets, a. Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than one dollar a day. B. Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people. C. Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger. The Secretary General’s February 2010 Report: Keeping the promise: a forward-looking review to promote an agreed action agenda to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 reports there were still 1.4 billion people living in extreme poverty in 2005, down from 1.8 billion in 1990. However, as China has accounted for most of this decrease, without China, progress does not look very encouraging; in fact, the number of people living in extreme poverty actually went up between 1990 and 2005 by about 36 million. The number of “$1 a day poor” went up by 92 million in sub-Saharan Africa and by 8 million in West Asia during the period 1990 to 2005. Eastern Europe suffered a decline in purchasing power after independence and the number of extremely poor rose from 2% to 3.7%. Since the 2009 crisis 300 million new jobs will be needed to bring employment back to pre-crisis levels. In sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia, poverty and hunger remain stubbornly high. The number of hungry people worldwide rose from 842 million in 1990-1992 to 873 million in 2004-2006 and to 1.02 billion people during 2009, the highest level ever. 852 million people, mainly in the developing world, are still chronically or acutely malnourished. Most of them are in Asia, particularly India (221 million) and China (142 million). Sub-Saharan Africa has 204 million hungry and is the only region of the world where hunger is increasing. Nonetheless, if the economic crisis is reasonably redressed the primary target of Goal 1 to halve the “proportion of people living in extreme poverty by 2015” was achieved by 2007, failed in 2009, but quite achievable with ODA and currency appreciation.

Table 8: Goals 2 & 3 Equal Access to Primary Education, Gender, Literacy 1990 & 2007
Primary School Enrollment Completion	Ratio Girls to Boys 1991	Ratio Girls to Boys 2007	Enrollment Rate 1991	Enrollment Rate 2007	Completion Rate 1999	Completion Rate 2007	Literacy 1990 Male/Female	Literacy 2007 Male/Female
World	0.89	0.96	82.0%	89.0%	81.7%	87.3%	82.4% 70.0%	88.4% 79.4%
Developing	0.87	0.95	79.6%	88.1%	78.9%	85.8%	76.6% 59.1%	85.4% 73.4%
Northern Africa	0.82	0.94	82.8%	95.6%	86.6%	95.1%	61.4% 35.7%	77.3% 58.3%
Sub-Saharan Africa	0.83	0.90	53.5%	73.5%	49.9%	63.1%	63.1% 45.0%	71.1% 53.8%
Latin America & Caribbean	0.99	0.97	86.7%	94.9%	96.6%	100.4%	87.7% 85.6%	91.7% 90.3%
East Asia and Pacific	0.94	0.99	96%	95.2%	101.8%	100.7%	87.8% 70.1%	96.6% 90.5%
South Asia	0.77	0.95	71.9%	89.8%	66.9%	80.6%	60.1% 34.0%	74.4% 53.3%
Europe and Central Asia	0.99	0.99	90.0%	93.6%	95.9%	96.6%	99.4% 97.2%	99.6% 99.1%
OECD	0.99	1.00	97.9%	96.4%	99.2%	98.6%	99.4% 98.8%	99.5% 99.2%
Source: The Millennium Development Goals Report 2009 Indicator 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 & 3.1

Goals 2 “Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling” and Goal 3, “to ‘eliminate’ gender disparity in primary and secondary education as soon as 2005 were idealistic. Nonetheless there has been remarkable progress towards achieving universal primary education in developing countries since 1990, with many countries having crossed the 90 per cent enrolment threshold. Enrolment in primary education has increased fastest in sub-Saharan Africa, from 54 per cent in 1990 to 74 per cent in 2007. Truancy remains a problem and more than 72 million children of primary school age around the world, about half of them in sub-Saharan Africa, remain out of school. Furthermore, dropout rates remain high in many countries, implying that achieving 100 per cent primary school completion rates remains a challenge, but remedial courses are always an option. Use of the Internet has increased steadily, with almost one fourth of the world’s population having Internet access. However, less than 18 per cent of the population in developing countries was using the Internet (and only 4 per cent in the least developed countries), compared with over 60 per cent in developed countries. The gender gap in primary school enrolment has narrowed in the past decade, albeit at a slow pace. In developing countries in 2007, over 95 girls of primary school age were in school for every 100 boys, compared with 91 in 1999. Progress in secondary schooling has been slower, and in some regions, gaps are widening. In sub-Saharan Africa, the percentage of enrolment of girls compared with boys in secondary education fell from 82 per cent in 1999 to 79 per cent in 2007. Only 53 of the 171 countries with available data had achieved gender parity in both primary and secondary education, 14 more than in 1999. The share of national parliamentary seats held by women has increased only slowly, averaging 18 per cent as at January 2009. While this is far from the 30 percent target envisioned in the Beijing Platform for Action, it represents a rise from 11 per cent 10 years earlier. At the present rate it will take another 40 years for developing countries to reach between 40 and 60 per cent share of parliamentary seats for women.

Table 9: Goals 4 & 5 Maternal, Infant, and Child Mortality 1990 & 2008
Region	Maternal Mortality P. 00,000 1990	Maternal Mortality p 00,000 2005	Maternal Mortality % Change ’90-‘05	Infant <1 Mortality Per 000 1990	Infant <1 Mortality Per 000 2008	Infant <1 Mortality % Change ‘90-‘07	Child <5 Mortality Per 000 1990	Child <5 Mortality Per 000 2008	Child <5 Mortality % Change ’00-‘08
World Average	430	400	-6.9%%	62	45	-27.4%	93	67	-27.7%
Latin America & Caribbean	190	130	-31.5%	42	19	-54.8%	42	23	-45.2%
Arab States	270	240	-11.1%	57	33	-42.1%	77	43	-44.2%
Sub-Saharan Africa	940	900	-4.3%	108	86	-20.4%	184	144	-21.7%
South Asia	650	500	-23.1%	88	57	-35.2%	124	76	-38.7%
Far East & Pacific	230	150	-34.8%	41	22	-46.3%	44	28	-36.4%
OECD	13	8	-38.5%	8	5	-37.5%	10	6	-40%
Sources: UNICEF. State of the World’s Children: 20 Years on the Convention of the Rights of the Child Statistical Tables: Basic Indicators & Women. November 2009

To achieve MDG 4 child mortality would need to go down by 53.5%, or 7.6% annually where average annual decline for the past 18 years has been only 1.54%. Infant mortality statistics for children under one year of age are much rosier in the Factbook. Although Angola, the nation where the most infants died per 1,000 born, suffered 191.2 infant deaths in 2006 and 180.21 in 2009, a reduction of 5.8%, in that same time period nearly all other nations improved, many by as much as 25% over 3 years. MDG 5 calls for a reduction in the maternal mortality ratio by three-quarters between 1990 and 2015. At the present rate of progress, the world will fall well short of the target for maternal mortality reduction. During the 15 years between base year 1990 and 2005 maternal mortality decreased only 6.9%, 0.46% annually. MDG 4 aims, by 2015, to reduce by two-thirds the mortality rate among children under-5. Deaths among children under five years of age have been reduced from 12.5 million per year (1990) to 8.8 million (2008). Although substantial progress has been made, during the 18 years between base year 1990 and 2008 the child mortality rate declined only 27.7%. The goal is one third of 90 – 30. Improvements in public health services are essential, including safe water, nutrition and better sanitation. Education, especially for girls and mothers, will also save children's lives. To theoretically improve maternal and child survival rates is to ensure all pregnant and breastfeeding women have access to a one year supply of multi-vitamins containing folic acid. While no substitute for a nutritious diet or clean water for drinking and washing, multi-vitamins with folic acid can supplement a diet of rice to improve the chances of a complication free birth and healthy baby. These child health related development goals are otherwise tied to hygiene, nutrition, obstetric and pediatric training and vaccination and the availability of clean water and sewage. The global cost of maternal and child health in developing countries can be minimized by collectively investing in folic acid multi-vitamins and vaccinations, +/- $10 billion globally, annually, $5 billion in Sub-Saharan Africa, where maternal and child mortality is highest.

Table 10: Goal 6 HIV/AIDS Pandemic Eases Between 2004 & 2007
Nation	Life Ex. 2006	Life Ex. 2009	% Change 2004- 2007	HIV % Pop. 2004	HIV % Pop. 2007	% Change 2004- 2007	HIV Death 000s 2004	HIV Death 000s 2007	% Change 2004- 2007	HIV Death per 000 2004	HIV Death per 000 2007	% Change 2004-2007
Botswana	33.9	61.85	82.5%	37.3%	23.9%	-35.9%	350	300	-14.3%	33	11	-66.6%
Central-African Republic	43.4	44.47	2.3%	13.5%	6.7%	-46.6%	260	160	-38.5%	23	1	-95.7%
Guinea-Bissau	46.6	47.9	2.8%	10%	1.8%	-82%	17	16	-5.9%	1.2	1.1	-8.3%
Lesotho	34.5	40.38	17%	28.9%	23.2%	-19.7%	320	270	-15.6%	29	18	-37.9%
Malawi	41.3	50.03	21.1%	14.2%	11.9%	-16.2%	900	930	3.3%	84	68	-19.1%
Mozambique	40.3	41.18	2.2%	12.2%	12.5%	2.5%	1,300	1,500	15.4%	110	81	-26.4%
Namibia	43.9	51.24	16.7%	21.3%	15.3%	-28.2%	210	1,300	519%	16	140	775%
South Africa	43.3	48.98	13.1%	21.5%	18.1%	-15.8	3,600	5,700	58.3%	370	350	-6.8%
Swaziland	33.2	47.85	44.1%	38.8%	26.1%	-32.7%	5,300	190	-96.4%	17	10	-41.2%
Zambia	39.7	38.63	2.7%	16.5%	15.2%	-7.9%	220	1,100

Sources: UNICEF. State of the World’s Children: 20 Years on the Convention of the Rights of the Child Statistical Tables: Basic Indicators & Women. November 2009