Sub-Regional MDGR: Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia Ben Slay, Susanne Milcher UNDP Regional Centre, Bratislava 26 April 2004

Why this presentation? n For EU accession, UNDP Regional Centre (Bratislava), national teams, prepared: –National MDGRs for four new EU states: n Czech Republic-- Hungary n Slovakia-- Slovenia –Sub-regional chapeau comparing results n Reports show how MDGRs adapted the MDGs in four new EU countries –Focus on how the national teams adapted MDGs to make them useful

Report’s key messages n Adaption of MDGs to new EU countries requires disaggregation, by: –Ethnicity (Roma) –Sub-national regions –Gender –Labour market status n Adaptation shows that MDGs: –are useful even for developed countries –provide full picture of social exclusion –can complement tertiary EU social inclusion indicators

Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger n Targets refocused on reducing relative poverty for vulnerable groups –Roma –Single mothers –Families with many children –Long-term unemployed n Large sub-national discrepancies magnify poverty risks for these groups

Poverty and labour market status (Hungary, 2000) Poverty and labour market status (Hungary, 2000) Source: Gábos and Szivós (2002), on the basis of TÁRKI’s Household Monitor Note: Poverty line—50% of median household income (in consumption units)

Single mothers below national subsistence minima (%) Source: CESES and UNDP, Millennium Development Goals Report, Czech Republic

Low income rate after transfers (Hungary, 2000)

Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education n National targets adapted to reflect Lisbon Summit’s “knowledge society”: –Life-long learning –Quality of education n Targets focused on: –Raising relatively low tertiary education levels –Better alignment of education systems with labour market needs

Percentage of people with tertiary education (2000) Source: National statistical offices, EUROSTAT, 2003

Roma education levels (2002) Source: UNDP/ILO survey (primary data), 2002 (

Goal 3: Promote gender equality, empower women n Horizontal, vertical labour market segregation by gender apparent in all four countries –Women more likely to work in sectors with lower average wages, occupy lower positions in any given field n Reducing wage gaps featured prominently among targets selected

Goal 4: Reduce child mortality n Substantial reductions in infant, perinatal mortality already achieved n Targets selected by national teams: –Hungary and Slovakia: reducing infant, child mortality levels toward EU averages –Czech Republic and Slovenia: maintaining child health, mortality levels at current favourable rates

Infant mortality rates (2001)

Goal 5: Improve maternal health n Maternal mortality, abortion rates have been declining for decades n Reports argue that further reductions in abortions should be sought, via the expansion of modern contraceptive methods

Abortions per 1000 women (Slovakia, 2000)

Teenage pregnancies (ages ), 2000

Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, other diseases n Central European countries not threatened by AIDS, tuberculosis, or other infectious diseases... –... But a terrible HIV/AIDS epidemic is taking hold in Ukraine –Future threat? n Chronic circulatory ailments, cancers pose larger health threats in Central Europe than do infectious diseases

TB prevalence (per 100K inhabitants, 2001)

Death rates due to tumours (per 100,000 inhabitants) Males aged 0-64 Source: European health for all database, WHO

Goal 7: Environmental sustainability n Substantial improvements in environmental quality since 1990 n But—Central Europe still faces environmental challenges: –Energy usage per unit of GDP remains well above OECD averages –Renewables: small role in energy balances –Requirement that municipalities with over 2,000 inhabitants must construct sewage treatment plants difficult to meet

Goal 8: Global partnerships for development n ODA: Small but rising n Central European countries’ contribution to development cooperation goes well beyond the monetary value of their ODA –Their transition expertise, particularly for “new neighbours” in the CIS, Balkans

Official Development Assistance (2001) Source: EC, The Consequences of Enlargement for Development Policy, Brussels, 2003

Conclusion: MDGs useful for new EU states in 3 respects n Point to unfinished development agenda n Disaggregation, application builds capacity for designing, implementing: –Joint inclusion memoranda –National action plans n Underscore these countries’ important potential contributions to international development cooperation

Thank you! UNDP Regional Center 35 Grosslingova Bratislava, Slovak Republic