Blog 4

 

Afghanistan 

Implement and Monitor 

The United Nations has created an agenda that would address a radical new approach to transforming the world. This agenda would focus on sustainable development, peace, justice and institutions. This plan is called The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and its overall goal is to “leaving no one behind” (UN, 2017, para 1.) Afghanistan has taken part in The Agenda. The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GoIRA) has affirmed its commitment to attaining the SDGs. To monitor this agenda, GoIRA has designated the Ministry of Economy (MoEc) as the lead line ministry. MoEc is in charge of coordinating and reporting the Afghanistan SDGs. The High Council of Ministers (HCM) will work to ensure the implementation of the Afghanistan SDGs, and stronger cooperation with the private sector, civil society and community organizations (UN, 2017.) This agenda works to address all the Sustainable Goals. 

For the SDG 3, ensuring the health and well-being of the people, mainly children and women, UNICEF alongside Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health (AMoPH) and other partners are focused on improving the lives and health of children and women in Afghanistan. UNICEF works to expand and increase services such as trained staff, essential newborn care equipment, deploying health outreach teams to isolated areas, and creating specialized maternity ‘waiting homes and rooms.’ UNICEF will also work with communities to immunize every child with life-saving vaccines against dangerous diseases. (UNICEF, 2019.) To monitor the implementation of these services, UNICEF will work with the MoPH to use its data systems to track performance in Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (RMNCH) Scorecards (UNICEF, 2019.)

Agenda Cost 

Afghanistan is a donor-dependent country and will require significant additional fundings from its international development partners, such as the UN and UNICEF to finance SDGs implementation (UN, 2017.)  According to UNICEF (2020), the Afghanistan Appeal created an agenda called Humanitarian Action for Children. In this report, it stated that to support the overall crisis health of Afghanistan, an estimated eight million dollars would be needed. 

Issue of Health 

Afghanistan is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for a baby, child, and mother and access to a hospital or health services is beyond the reach of most. This country has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world and thousands of Afghan women die every year from pregnancy-related causes, a majority of which are easily preventable (UN, 2019.) According to UNICEF Afghanistan Data  (2019), the under-five mortality rate in Afghanistan is 60 for every 1,000 live births. The percentage of mothers (aged 15-49 years) who received postnatal care within 2 days of giving birth was only 37 percent and the percentage of newborns who had postnatal contact with a health provider within 2 days of delivery was only 19 percent. It is critical for newborns and mothers to receive the proper care they need to ensure their healths. 

Resources 

Over the years, Afghanistan’s health system has been progressing, with increasing coverage of health services throughout the country. For example, in 2018, 3,135 health facilities were functional, which ensured access to almost 87% of the population within two hours distance (WHO, n.d.) Although this a major step to reduce the health issues in this country, the constant war and conflict in Afghanistan have led to a shortage of health workers, there are about 7 doctors, nurses, and midwives per 10,000 population (WHO, 2016.) This is just an example of the very limited health resources Afghanistan has. 

Addressing and Prioritizing 

Since the government of Afghanistan does not have the resources or funds to address the health issues the country has, The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health work with UNICEF and the UN to improve services and quality care for children and women. This health issue a priority for this country. The government of Afghanistan has proven that they are trying to make a difference in the country in regards to looking for ways to improve the state of the people and the way they live. By having the government partner up with organizations like the UN and UNICEF, means that they are working in reducing the issue of the current health crisis that Afghanistan faces.

References 

UNICEF. (2019, December 31.) Afghanistan. Health. Retrieved October 04, 2020, from https://www.unicef.org/afghanistan/health

UNICEF. (2020, August 11). Afghanistan Appeal. Retrieved October 04, 2020, from https://www.unicef.org/appeals/afghanistan

UNICEF. (2020, June 11). Data Warehouse. Afghanistan. Retrieved October 04, 2020, from https://data.unicef.org/resources/data_explorer/unicef_f/?ag=UNICEF

United Nations. (2017). Afghanistan: Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform. Retrieved October 03, 2020, from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/memberstates/afghanistan

United Nations. (July, 2017.) Sustainable Development Goals. Voluntary National Review at the High Level Political Forum SDGs’ Progress Report Afghanistan. Retrieved October 04, 2020 from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/16277Afghanistan.pdf

World Health Organization. (n.d.). Afghanistan. Health Systems. Retrieved October 04, 2020, from http://www.emro.who.int/afg/programmes/health-system-strengthening.html

World Health Organization. (2012, May 16). Afghanistan. Retrieved October 04, 2020, from https://www.who.int/workforcealliance/countries/afg/en/