A report highlighting the progress made by Bahrain over the past 15 years towards a set of eight UN development goals was released yesterday (May 6).

The UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), established in the year 2000, are aimed at eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health and combating HIV/Aids and other diseases, among other targets, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

Bahrain has achieved the majority of these goals, according to the report compiled by the Central Informatics Organisation (CIO), UN Development Programme (UNDP) and other government bodies.

UN resident co-ordinator and UNDP resident representative Peter Grohmann praised Bahrain's efforts at the report's launch yesterday on the sidelines of the three-day Arab High Level Forum on Sustainable Development being held at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel and Spa.

“Bahrain serves not only as an excellent example of major progress towards the MDGs, but also highlights what can be achieved through strong and committed national leadership to improve the lives of citizens.”

Highlights of the report include a primary education rate of 98.6 per cent, a 98.2 per cent literacy rate among citizens aged 15-24 and increased gender equality among the workforce, which has increased to 47 per cent in the public sector and 31 per cent in the private sector from 40.96 per cent and 27.74 per cent in 2007.

The average salary for Bahrainis working in the public sector was BD808 ($2,129) and BD288 in the private sector.

CIO president Dr Mohammed Al Amer, in his presentation during the report's launch yesterday, said the country's immunisation rate was 100 per cent, with no cases of malaria reported since 1995.

“Bahrain provides 100 per cent safe drinking water and sanitation services and there are policies being reviewed to cut down on emissions,” he added. - TradeArabia News Service