Millennium Development Goals: Mostly for non-Dalits?

The South Asian countries face major challenges in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).  However, even if the countries achieve the goals, the Dalits of South Asia are unlikely to achieve them. According to new research on Dalit communities carried out, Dalits are significantly behind the goals set on all of the indicators.

The MDGs formulate a series of goals and indicators in areas such as poverty, education, and child mortality that each state has committed itself to help achieving before 2015.  The overall achievement of the goals is measured based on countries’ national averages. However these national averages conceal the significant disparities in wealth and human development that leave hundreds of millions of Dalits behind even as wealth, education and health improves for other communities in the countries.

The unequal development in South Asia presents a significant challenge to governments and the international agencies that are working to achieve the MDGs, according to Ms. Marina Stirbu from the UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia.

”Looking at average statistics is not enough. South Asian countries have the largest socio-economic disparities in the world, and caste discrimination is clearly a part of these inequalities. There is a clear need to address poverty of caste-based discriminated groups in order to achieve the MDGs in an inclusive way,” says Ms. Stirbu.

Ms. Stirbu participated in the two-day research seminar in Kathmandu, which provided data on the situation of Dalits throughout the South Asian region. Representatives from the international agencies UNDP, ILO, UNESCO and Danida, were present in the seminar along with researchers and activists, to discuss ways of addressing caste discrimination in South Asian countries.

The findings of the research projects will be presented at national events in each of the South Asian countries in the coming months.