Colombia Advances Towards MDGs,
but Stark Regional Gaps Persist
The ECLAC Office in Bogota and the Government of Colombia released second report on the country’s progress towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that reviews the achievements, challenges and the enormous regional gaps within the country with respect to most indicators.
After the UN Millennium Declaration, the Colombian government reviewed the proposed targets and indicators and adapted them to its country, setting even more ambitious targets in some areas and eliminating indicators that were no longer relevant because they had already been met. It also added other goals in line with national priorities.
So far, Colombia has issued two reports outlining the country’s efforts and achievements towards compliance of the MDGs. The first one was published in 2006 and the second one in March this year as a result of a participatory process coordinated by the National Planning Department of Colombia and the ECLAC Office in Bogota.
The second report concludes that the country is well en route to meeting targets on schooling, child mortality, assistance in birth giving, cervix cancer mortality and coverage of water and sewage services.
However, efforts have been insufficient and it is still doubtful whether Colombia will be able to meet targets on poverty and extreme poverty (measured with national standards), malnutrition, maternal mortality, the use of contraceptives and teenage pregnancy.
Beyond the national averages, policies have focused on the enormous regional gaps regarding most indicators. Greater efforts should be deployed to overcome regional inequalities and concentrate work at a local level.
To prepare the report, work groups on different issues were set up with the support of consultants on each of the topics and the active participation of government officials and representatives of the agencies that comprise the United Nations system in Colombia. This methodology was used to produce each of the chapters that make up the final documents. In addition, the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) was given an important role as producer and validator of the data used in the reports.
The preparation of the next report began in May. The first stage will focus on statistics, given the challenges posed by a new census (2005), which requires making changes in the targets and baselines.
|
|
Indicator |
Baseline |
Current situation |
2010 Target |
2015 |
|
OBJECTIVE 1 |
Persons living in extreme poverty |
20.4% |
16.4% |
8.8% |
8.8 % |
|
1991 |
2009 |
||||
|
Persons living in poverty |
53.8% |
45.5% |
35.0% |
28.5% |
|
|
1991 |
2009 |
||||
|
Children under one with overall malnutrition |
10.0% |
7.0% |
5.0% |
3.0% |
|
|
1990 |
2005 |
||||
|
OBJECTIVE 2 |
Illiteracy in population aged 15 -24 years |
3.8% |
2.0% |
1.4% |
1.0% |
|
1992 |
2008 |
||||
|
Gross coverage of basic education |
76.8% |
109.4% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
|
|
1992 |
2009 |
||||
|
Gross coverage of high school education |
59.1% |
75.2% |
73.0% |
93.0% |
|
|
1992 |
2009 |
||||
|
Average years of schooling in population aged 15 -24 years |
7.0 |
9.3 |
9.7 |
10.6 |
|
|
1992 |
2008 |
||||
|
Repetition in elementary and high school education |
6.1% |
3.1% |
4.0% |
2.3% |
|
|
1992 |
2008 |
||||
|
OBJECTIVE 3 |
Proportion of elected women (Regional governments) |
3.2% |
3.1% |
N/A |
N/A |
|
1998 |
2008 |
||||
|
Proportion of elected women (Regional assemblies) |
5.3% |
18.2% |
N/A |
N/A |
|
|
1998 |
2008 |
||||
|
Proportion of elected women (Mayor) |
5.2% |
9.5% |
N/A |
N/A |
|
|
1998 |
2008 |
||||
|
Proportion of elected women (Councils) |
10.3% |
14.5% |
N/A |
N/A |
|
|
1998 |
2008 |
||||
|
Provision of management positions at a national level |
32.0% |
38.0% |
N/A |
N/A |
|
|
2005 |
2008 |
||||
|
OBJECTIVE 4 |
Mortality in children under 5 (per 1,000 live births) |
37.4 |
18.5 |
18.2 |
17 |
|
1990 |
2007 |
||||
|
Mortality in infants under 1 (per 1,000 live births) |
30.8 |
15.3 |
16.5 |
14 |
|
|
1990 |
2007 |
||||
|
Coverage of vaccination (Triple Viral) |
92.0% |
92.4% |
95% |
95% |
|
|
1994 |
2008 |
||||
|
OBJECTIVE 5 |
Maternal mortality per 100,000 live births |
100.0 |
75.6 |
63.0 |
45.0 |
|
1998 |
2007 |
||||
|
Women with four or more prenatal checkups |
66.0% |
78.2% |
90.0% |
90.0% |
|
|
1990 |
2007 |
||||
|
Institutional assistance to childbirth |
76.3% |
97.8% |
95.0% |
95.0% |
|
|
1990 |
2007 |
||||
|
Childbirth assistance by skilled personnel |
80.6% |
97.8% |
95.0% |
95.0% |
|
|
1990 |
2007 |
||||
|
Use of contraceptives among sexually active population |
59.0% |
68.2% |
75.0% |
75.0% |
|
|
1995 |
2005 |
||||
|
Use of contraceptives in population aged 15-19 years |
38.3% |
55.5% |
75.0% |
75.0% |
|
|
1995 |
2005 |
||||
|
Adolescents who have given birth or are pregnant |
12.8% |
20.5% |
Less than 15% |
Less than15% |
|
|
1990 |
2005 |
||||
|
Cervix cancer mortality per 100,000 women |
13.0 |
7.1 |
8.8 |
5.5 |
|
|
1990 |
2007 |
||||
|
OBJECTIVE 6 |
Contagion of HIV/AIDS in population aged 15-49 years |
0.65% |
0.65% |
Less than 1.2% |
Less than 1.2% |
|
2003 |
2003 |
||||
|
Mortality of HIV/AIDS per 100,000 persons |
5.4 |
5.7 |
N/A |
N/A |
|
|
2006 |
2007 |
||||
|
HIV/AIDS mother-child transmission - Cases |
39 |
39 |
N/A |
N/A |
|
|
2008 |
2008 |
||||
|
Coverage of anti-antiretroviral therapy |
52.3% |
76.0% |
82.0% |
96.0% |
|
|
2003 |
2007 |
||||
|
Mortality of malaria |
225 |
65 |
117 |
34 |
|
|
1998 |
2007 |
||||
|
Mortality of dengue |
234 |
101 |
106 |
46 |
|
|
1998 |
2007 |
||||
|
OBJECTIVE 7 |
Reforestation (hectares a year) |
23,000 |
21,000 |
30,000 |
30,000 |
|
2003 |
2008 |
||||
|
Areas protected by the National Park System (hectares) |
10,157,020 |
11,518,483 |
11,545,225 |
10,322,020 |
|
|
2002 |
2008 |
||||
|
Consumption of ozone-depleting substances (tons) |
1,000 |
210 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
2003 |
2008 |
||||
|
Coverage of urban water services |
94.6% |
97.6% |
98.3% |
99.4% |
|
|
1993 |
2008 |
||||
|
Coverage of urban sewage systems |
81.8% |
92.9% |
94.0% |
97.6% |
|
|
1993 |
2008 |
||||
|
Coverage of rural water services |
41.1% |
72.0% |
72.5% |
81.6% |
|
|
1993 |
2008 |
||||
|
Coverage of basic rural sanitation services |
51.0% |
69.6% |
70.2% |
70.9% |
|
|
1993 |
2008 |
||||
|
Households in precarious settlements |
19.9% |
15.2% |
N/A |
4.0% |
|
|
2003 |
2008 |
||||
|
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High progress |
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Medium progress |
|
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Low progress |
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More
SUBREGIONAL/OFFICES
Brazil and the Other
BRICs
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| Greater efforts should be deployed to overcome regional inequalities and concentrate work at a local level. | |
 |
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| It is still doubtful whether Colombia will be able to meet targets on poverty and extreme poverty, malnutrition, maternal mortality and the use of contraceptives. | |