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Millennium Development Purposes in Russian Context
N.M.Rimashevskaya, Director of Institute of Social and Economic Research for Population Problems under Russian Academy of Sciences, Corresponding Member of Russian Academy of Sciences
Leaders of 189 states -UNO members have adopted the development targets at the threshold of the third millennium which are to be reached by 2015 at Millennium Summit which took place in 2000. The targets consist in the following:
- to halve the volumes of abject poverty and famine;
- to provide general elementary education around the globe;
- to broaden the rights and abilities of women, to encourage equality of women and men;
- to 2/3 reduce children's mortality at the age of less than 5 years;
- to 3/4 reduce the factor of maternal mortality;
- to barrier spreading of diseases, especially HIV/AIDS and malaria;
- to ensure environmental stability (access to safe drinking water, availability of sewerage system);
- to form a global partnership for the purposes of development with legible goals in the area of rendering assistance to commerce and providing of debt time.
For Russia this goal may be formulated as "poverty overcoming".
According to information of State Comity for Statistics in III quarter of 2003 the number of people having average per capita monetary income below the value of minimum of subsistence (2121 rubles) set generally for the Russian Federation amounted to 31.2 million people (21.9%).
Poor population is spread over the country's territory non-homogenously. there is an acute polarization. According to data for the year of 2002 in Aginskiy, Buryatskiy, Ust-Ordynskiy Buryatskiy autonomous region as well as in the Republic of Ingooshetia poverty level amounted to 70-80%. At the same time in Tyumen region, Khanty-Mansi and Yamalo-Nenets autonomous regions it amounted to only 8-16%.
The basic reasons of scanty means factor may be divided into three groups:
a) low level of wages (one third of workers receive salary which is lower than minimum of subsistence), unemployment and non-payments. These factors generate the so called "new poor";
b) low level of provision of pensions (one third of the retired receive pension which is lower than minimum of subsistence);
c) high demographic load in families of mothers with many children, unwed mothers and if there are invalids in the family. These are the so called "traditionally poor".
It is obvious that the main strategies of poverty prevention are based on understanding of reasons of its formation. The most effective strategy is growth of employment and self-employment through the development of small-scale entrepreneurship. In this case local authorities may play a significant role facilitating creation and activity of small-scale business. Nongovernmental non-for-profit organizations also take an important place.
We should stress the role of certain factors of poverty overcoming in various entities of federation is not quite the same. The considerable difference is connected with peculiarities of employment. In crisis regions a high level of unemployment is stable: Ingooshetia - 44%, Aginskiy Buryatskiy autonomous region - 25%, the Republic of Daghestan - 24%, the Republic of Tyva - 21%.
All the above proves the fact that a special Poverty Overcoming Program should be developed for each region which would attract nongovernmental and public organizations.
Forecasts by Institute of Social and Economic Research for Population Problems for the year of 2010 revealed that the problem of poverty overcoming will be solved if average income position of people for the period from 2000 to 2010 doubles and differentiation of incomes reduces by 30%.
In this area a more favorable situation is observed. Nevertheless there are certain problems here as well:
Statistics shows that:
a) about 2 million children of school age do not attend educational institutions due to various reasons; the number includes homeless and uncared for children;
b) about 1 million children can not get a standard education due to poor health (these are, first of all, invalids)
c) 10% of schoolchildren can not fully cope with school program.
Solution of the problems is significantly dependent on activities of local public organizations (in municipalities and villages) which are not only to be in charge of elementary and secondary education of all children of their territory but also encourage improving of education.
New acute matters make Ministry of Education intend to close small schools. This is a very moot point not only from the point of view of children's education but also taking into account existence of small settlements.
It is commonly known that social and economic transformations resulted in the fact that women lost the ability to compete with men as well as widely spread economic protectionism. Social sphere was ruined and women had to compensate its lack making the life of their families by own strength, especially under low level of income and rise in prices for personal services.
In contrast to the West in Russia there was no mass adoption of gender conscience due to practical absence of civil society. In the west practices of struggle for human rights went in line with formation of civil society making barriers on the way back to patriarchal cultural models. In Russia though there was a certain step back in the first half of the 90-th induced by a renaissance of patriarchy. Probably this stage is already passing although we are facing new troubles connected with gender. Along with various forms of discrimination in terms of labour there are new and the most acute problems connected with change of living conditions such as, for example, domestic abuse and prostitution.
State may and does act in order to overcome the adverse effects within the strategy of realization of gender equality. However a women's movement which appeared not "from above" but "from below" is also very powerful. Development o regional centers with specific intents of women's concern is the most effective mean of their rights and abilities broadening.
Let us focus on its the most important constituent- infantile mortality. Today we observe the positive trends, stable tendency of infantile mortality reduction. For 3 quarters of the current year the corresponding index amounted to 12.7 per 1000 of new born children. But while the positive dynamics we have to establish the high absolute level: it is 3-4 times more than in developed countries.
The reasons of high infantile mortality, two thirds of which is related to perinatal period are connected with mother's health. After all 43% apart from other diseases suffer from anemia. That is why it is no wonder that the third of new born children are either already sick or get sick right after their birth.
The problem is associated with condition of family, its level of income , life standards, relations within family.
According to statistics today in Russia maternal mortality level goes down. Along with this reproductive health is worsened. And sick mothers give birth to sick children just like the poor give life to the poor.
Anemia first of all is a result of inferior nutrition. And until in Russia poverty is not overcome we have to provide pregnant and nursing mothers with balanced nutrition. Local women organization may play a positive role in this action controlling bringing into practice of such event.
I highlighted only some of the specific proposals concerning effective ways of co-operation and partnership for reaching of development purposes of the third millennium which actually touches upon the eighth target of the whole program.
All of this certainly requires detailed discussion.
Rimashevskaya Natalia Mikhailovna - Doctor of Science in Economics, Professor, Corresponding Member of Russian Academy of Sciences, member of International Academy of Information, Director of Institute of Social and Economic Research for Population Problems under Russian Academy of Sciences, Editor-in -chief of journal "Population", participant of many International Conferences on Population, UNO Expert for the issues of aging in the Russian Federation, member of European Association of Population Studies (EAPS), European Association of Demographic Unions (EADU) etc. Author of more than 320 publications on population problems.
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