Goal 3. Promote gender equality and empower women.Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education preferably
by 2005 and to all levels of education no later than 2015.Goal 4. Reduce child mortality.Reduce by two-thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under- ve mortality rate.Goal 5. Improve maternal health.Reduce by three-quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the
maternal mortality ratio.Goal 6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.Halt and reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other major diseases.Goal 7. Ensure environmental sustainability.Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and
programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources.Goal 8. Develop a global partnership for development.Develop further and open, rules-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and nancial system, including a
commitmentto good governance, development, and poverty reduction both nationally and internationally.T
he recently
published 2005
Palestinian MDG
Progress Report
stated that it was
likely that Goal 3: "Promote
gender equality and empower
women", would be met by 2015.
It reported that educational
progress was favorable, although
women's economic and political
participation remained below
target. The report indicated that
there had been positive trends in
reducing gender disparity in the
Palestinian education system and
that forecasts predicted that this
trend would only improve.However, it was also noted that
the positive advances forecast are
based on a series of assumptions,
including that the politicalsituation does not deteriorate
further, the Palestinian National
Authority (PNA) Ministry of
Women's Affairs continues to
exist, and the momentum gained
by the Palestinian women's
movement continues to build.The report cited that the proportion
of women in decision-making
positions was not yet where it
should be, and indicated that only
6 percent of Palestinian Legislative
Council (PLC) members in 2005
were women, there were no
women in the position of deputy-
minister, and only 11 percent at
the Director General position.
According to the Palestinian
Central Bureau of Statistics
(PCBS), 2004 labor force gures
indicate that in the West Bank,
women accounted for only 16percent of the labor force, and
only 9 percent in the Gaza Strip.
However, in the recent round of
local elections it emerged that in
the West Bank, over 19 percent of
elected of cials were women, and
approximately 17 percent in the
Gaza Strip.Although progress has been made,
many challenges remain. The
report stated that in the Palestinian
context, MDG 3 should address
not only issues of equality, but
also gender equity. In addition, it
was found that just legislation was
needed to ensure the protection of
women's rights; af rmative action
was required to ensure the further
political participation of women;
and women needed to be provided
with the support and skills to
perform in a governmental role.
