Introduction:
The MDGs are relevant to The Gambia’s development context as they set
clear targets for reducing poverty, hunger, illiteracy, disease,
discrimination against women and environmental degradation as well as
requisite global partnerships in support of such efforts. In effect,
the objectives and pillars of the country’s second Poverty Reduction
Strategy Paper (PRSP II) are very much correlated with the MDGs.
The challenges faced by The Gambia in meeting a number of MDGs reflect
the absence of an integrated planning framework that can effectively
monitor national and local progress towards the MDGs. The lack of such
a framework is compounded by inadequate institutional capacity and
serious resource constraints. Overall, The Gambia faces serious
challenges in its efforts to reliably track the MDGs. There has also
been a growing realization by senior government policymakers and other
stakeholders that if The Gambia is to attain the MDGs, the capacity of
administrative, financial and planning structures at the local level
will have to be considerably enhanced. Effective and efficient
delivery of these services is essential if the MDGs are to have a
realistic chance of being attained by 2015.
The Government of The Gambia, at the highest levels, has
committed itself to integrating the MDGs into its planning
processes. In January 2006, the government decided to integrate
the draft second PRSP (PRSP II) and the draft Medium Term Plan (MTP)
into one unified planning framework for the country. In order to
strengthen implementation of the Poverty Reduction Strategy,
which is identified as the primary vehicle for attaining the
MDGs. The government established a National Planning Commission
(NPC) for coordinating the national Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS)
via the implementation of the PRSP, the NPC is the primary
government agency charged with tracking MDG targets.
Some of the main findings of the MDG Reports are that MDG
targets for poverty, gender equality, and
HIV/AIDS were unlikely
to be met if existing trends did not change. On the other hand,
maternal health, hunger, and access to basic amenities such as
safe drinking water were relatively more likely to be met by
2015.
Improvements to maternal health and child nutrition (MDGs 4 and
5), strengthening secondary education and eliminating gender
disparities in school (MDG 3), general poverty reduction (MDG 1)
and environmental preservation (MDG 7) and HIV/AIDS (MDG 6) are
therefore among the areas emphasized in the country’s poverty
reduction strategy. These are therefore the areas where The
Gambia needs to catch up so as to achieve the aspirations of
Vision 2020 in general and the PRSP II and MDG goals and targets
in particular.
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Country Action Plan:
Poverty reduction and achieving the Millennium
Development Goals:-
Progress towards achieving Millennium Development Goals targets
and implementing the propoor poverty agenda has been uneven.
That programme outcome will support pro-poor policy reform and
the mobilization of resources and strengthening of partnerships
required to achieve the Millennium Development Goal targets. The
2003 and 2005 Millennium Development Goals progress reports show
that targets for reducing hunger, provision of basic amenities
(water/sanitation), reducing maternal mortality and universal
primary education and environmental sustainability are
achievable. The reports show that at the current pace the
country will experience difficulties in achieving targets to
reduce income poverty, child mortality and HIV/AIDS infections,
and achieve gender equality. Wide geographic performance
discrepancies exist between the urban western and the rural
eastern parts of the country.
Since attaining the Millennium Development Goals is a central
component of the Government’s development strategy,
UNDP support
will be geared towards integrating the goals into sector
strategies and placing more emphasis on the costing, funding
gaps and monitoring of targets so that government, civil society
and development partners can effectively contribute to the
effort to attain the goals. Support will be provided to
establish an independent think tank that can provide independent
research and analysis for use by policymakers to strengthen
evidence-based planning systems in support of the goals.
Support will be provided to establishing frameworks and
effective systems for improved economic governance. That
presupposes a focus on the acutely needed and comprehensive
public sector reform being led by the Government with the
support of development partners. UNDP support will be provided
towards creating a planning institution, the National Planning
Commission. The Commission builds on past UNDP support and will
seek to consolidate government planning instruments and provide
an emphasis on implementation and systematic monitoring and
evaluation of intended outcomes in a more results-oriented
manner.
The emphasis will be on capacity development; establishing
systems based on transparency and accountability; and setting up
efficient tracking and monitoring systems. Aid coordination and
management will be a key component in improving resource
mobilization, targeting and monitoring to address the
development priorities and Millennium Development Goal targets
of the Gambia. 21. Employment generation remains the greatest
challenge. The CPD will focus on implementing the National
Employment Action Plan by supporting institutional strengthening
and vocational training. Emphasis will be placed on facilitating
private-public sector partnerships for investment in the
productive sectors, thereby promoting
employment opportunities
and job creation.
Source: UNDP Document: 2006
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