Goal 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger
Target 1: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than one dollar a day.
Target 2: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger.
Guyana has a population of approximately 750,000 people, around 72 percent of whom live in rural areas. An estimated 35 percent of the population is living below the national poverty line, and 19 percent live in extreme poverty (1999 data). No poverty data since 1999 is currently available, however, a Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) was undertaken in 2006/2007 and the resultant data should be available later in the year.
Goal 1 seeks to reduce the number living below the national poverty line to around 22 percent by 2015. Substantial progress was made in Guyana towards reducing poverty from 1993 to 1999. The proportion of the total population below the poverty line declined from 43 percent to 35 percent and the number living in extreme poverty decreased from 29 percent to 19 percent.
This reduction closely correlates with the growth of the economy over the same period, at an annual average of 5 percent. Since 2000, however, the economy has stagnated and, although there is no further data available, the growth poverty relationship suggests that poverty has worsened.
At the same time, Guyana has made great achievements towards reducing hunger. There is a clear decline in the number of children under five suffering from malnutrition. In fact, when compared to the baseline data from 1995, Guyana has already met the target of halving the proportion of the population suffering from hunger.
What is being done to reduce poverty and hunger?
Guyana is currently preparing a new Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) which will benefit from the results of the Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) carried out in 2006/2007. The Survey report will provide the Government with information to make informed pronouncements on the current state of poverty and decide what measures need to be taken.
Key ongoing initiatives to improve economic growth and reduce poverty focus on improving the business environment. They include attracting and prioritising investment in the social and economic infrastructure. Investments in health, education, housing, water, sanitation and poverty programmes have increased from a baseline of 15 percent of GDP in 1997 to 22 percent in 2005. These increased allocations have improved access to basic social services over that period, although challenges remain in the hinterland regions.
Significant inroads have been made in the fight against hunger through programmes directed at the nutrition of expectant mothers and children. The Government is running school feeding programmes to address short-term hunger and improve performance in the class room.
Implementation of the economic measures and policy initiatives envisaged by the Government is expected to reinvigorate the economy. As mentioned, a new Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) is currently being prepared for the period 2007-2011. This revised strategy will incorporate a full poverty diagnosis, an evaluation of the impact of the PRS from 2001-2006 and a policy framework to serve as the basis for developing interventions over the medium term.
|
