Cuba : Only Country to Achieve UN Millennium Goals

Given that Cuba was already tops in the region on most of these indicators, maybe this should not come as a surprise. But the further progress in recent years is worth nothing. For example, the % of of population considered "undernourished" in Cuba has gone from 18% in 1996 to 3%. Infant mortalitY has been halved since 1991, the amount of protected environmental area has tripled and CO2 emmissions have dorpped a third...

From the ACN
Havana, June 27
President of Latin American Parliament (PARLACEN), Julio Palacios, pointed out on Monday that Cuba has fulfilled its UN Millennium Goals on education, healthcare and infant mortality.

“Cuba is the only country in the Caribbean or Latin American that has achieved most of the Millennium Goals,” stated Palacios at PARLACEN summit underway in Guatemala City.

The meeting, which gathers lawmakers from America, Europe and Africa, aims to analyze the contributions of legislative bodies in the fulfillment of those goals, reported the Prensa Latina news agency.

The UN objectives aim to reduce extreme poverty and starvation, diminish infant mortality, fight against the spread of AIDS, and guarantee environmental sustainability.

PARLACEN’s president pointed out that only a few Latin American countries have made progress in this regard, while others have taken steps backwards since 2000.

According to PARLACEN statistics, there are over 200 million poor people in Latin America and the Caribbean – 96 million of them living in abject poverty.

This is the least equitable region around the world due to the inability of governments to deal with unfair income distribution. This situation has even worsened because of unemployment.

Palacios announced that at the summit, PARLACEN will present a proposal for a strategic alliance among governments, parliaments, local legislative bodies and society to achieve the Millennium Goals.