UAE and The Millennium Development Goals
The UAE Ministry of Economy in partnership with UNDP UAE prepared the Second UAE MDG report which was launched in April 2007. The report highlights UAE’s overall progress on the economic and social fronts in the past two decades and concludes that is on target to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in 2015. However, it also highlights areas that call for concerted national effort to meet fully the MDGs and its targets in 2015. These are:
• The goal of reducing child mortality ratio to two thirds of what it was in 1990 presents the government with a challenge; high rates are required from now on if the desired targets (MDG 4) are to be achieved;
• The main challenge in relation to maternal health is the pursuit to maintain the record rates and proportions registered in previous years (MDG 5). Maternal services have to be developed and extended systematically to meet the growing needs resulting from normal population growth.
• It is known that there are some issues in the United Arab Emirates that represent a challenge with respect to development (MDG 1 and 3). The following are most important issues that require adopting specific policies and developing relevant strategies:
1. Diversification of income sources;
2. Activation of the role of the private sector;
3. Human resource development and technology transfer;
4. Activation of efforts to empower women.
Progress by Goal
Current status in accordance with national Government reporting:
|
Achieved |
|
Very likely to be achieved, on track |
|
Possible to achieve if some changes are made |
|
Off track |
|
Insufficient information |
Overview of Progress towards Achieving the MDGs
Goals |
Achieving the Goals |
Status of supportive environment |
|
Probably |
Potentially |
Unlikely |
Lack of data |
Strong |
Fair |
Weak but improving |
Weak |
| Preserving and raising the standard of living |
|
X |
|
|
X |
|
|
|
Achieving universal primary education |
|
X |
|
|
X |
|
|
|
Promoting gender equality and empowering Women |
|
X |
|
|
X |
|
|
|
Reducing child mortality |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Improving maternal health |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Eradicating HIV/AID, Malaria and other infectious disease |
|
X |
|
|
X |
|
|
|
Ensuring environmental sustainability |
|
X |
|
|
X |
|
|
|
Developing a global partnership for development |
|
X |
|
|
X |
|
|
|
*Estimated according to the previous experience of the relative institutions
|
United Arab Emirates 
