Brunei attains almost all MDGs: minister
By Siti Hajar
A little over a decade ago, almost 200 countries joined forces and agreed upon a set path to overcome the most distressing issue that many nations are facing: poverty. The realisation to address this agenda brought with it what is now known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that are hoped to be fulfilled by the year 2015 through quantified goals and targets.
Being a blessed country with resources that can provide for all, Brunei Darussalam, a signatory to the MDGs has been considered very fortunate, and this is reflected in the achievements that have been made in actualising a significant majority of the MDGs with commendable efforts from the various government ministries responsible for the welfare of the country's people.
The Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Seri Setia Awg Hj Hazair bin Hj Abdullah stated this during an event marking Universal Children's Day, yesterday, at the Dewan Muhibbah of the Brunei-Muara District Office in Berakas.
The minister in his opening speech said that the Abode of Peace "has achieved almost all of the Millennium Development Goals" that have prioritised children and their rights to life, health, education and shelter, which he considers as "the main agendas". He emphasised that securing the future for the country's children is part-and-parcel of efforts to ensure sustainable development.
"Helping children reach their full potential also means investing in the very progress of humanity, for it is in the crucial first years that interventions make the biggest difference in a child's physical, intellectual and emotional development," he said. "And investing in children means achieving development goals faster, as children constitute a large percentage of the world's poor."
Alleviating millions out of poverty would mean tackling the concern at its grassroots level and the 189 countries agreed to sign the United Nations Millennium Declaration in September of 2000, which dictated eight Goals that could potentially improve the living standards of scores around the world and such goals include eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality and empower women, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensure environmental sustainability and developing global partnerships for development.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) explains that though the Goals are for all humankind, the biggest beneficiaries once the MDGs are met will be next sets of generations as six of the eight Goals are targeted for the future of children regardless of creed, race, gender, age or social standing. Meeting the goals, says UNICEF, "is most critical for children" because children "are most vulnerable when people lack essentials (such as) food, water, sanitation and healthcare. They are the first to die when basic needs are not met".
Outlining the Sultanate's progress in meeting the MDGs that are in direct relation to children, Pehin Dato Hj Hazair stated that there has been a reduction in the country's infant mortality rate from 10.3 for every 1,000 births in the year 2000 to 6.1 in 2010; that 95 per cent of children in the country have been vaccinated against communicable diseases; and that 99 per cent of Brunei's children have had the opportunity to attend primary school. The rate of literacy among children stood at 96.4 per cent in 2009.
When considering the amenities, facilities and provisions that are being given to children in Brunei in comparison with other developing countries whose governments are finding it challenging to overcome obstacles that are compromising the welfare of their younger generation, Brunei's children, said the minister, "should be made aware of how fortunate they are", as the Government of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam constantly provides attention to their general wellbeing even before birth, through medical healthcare for pregnant mothers through to their age of maturity in terms of virtually free education.
Families living with financial difficulties, said Pehin Dato Hj Hazair, are also being taken care of as the government through the Community Development Department under the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports ensures adequate finances to meet their educational needs through the government's allowance programmes.
"The government's effort is to ensure that all children are given the opportunity to acquire education to be able to become the country's future leaders," he said.
Complementary to the incentives that have been put in place, the government also takes into account the legal aspects surrounding the threats faced by children, including the Women and Girls Protection Act, Children and Young Persons Order 2006, Islamic Family Order 1999, Unlawful Carnal Knowledge Act and the Trafficking and Smuggling of Persons Order 2004 as means "to protect children from various forms of violence, mistreatment and exploitation".
Universal Children's Day was the product of the General Assembly's recommendation on December 14, 1954 by Resolution 836(IX) for all countries to institute a Universal Children's Day to be observed as a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children. The resolution recommended that the day to be observed as a day of activity devoted to promoting the ideas and objectives of the Charter and the welfare of the children of the world.
November 20 was then pegged as the day to celebrate the world's children, as it marked the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989.
Dipetik dari - Borneo Bulletin Online, Rabu, November 23, 2011
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