UNITED NATIONS, 27 September 2005 — A new collaborative report says action is urgently needed to tackle a range of problems facing over 600 million children in the Islamic world. The problems range from poverty and disease to education and protection.
The report entitled “Investing in the Children of the Islamic World” simultaneously reflects a determination on the part of Islamic countries to bring about improvement and lasting progress in the lives of children.
The report was released by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), and UNICEF, at an event hosted by the Malaysian Mission to the United Nations in New York last week. Malaysia is the current chairman of the OIC. Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Alber was present at the ceremony to launch the landmark report.
OIC Member states account for a quarter of the world’s 2.3 billion children — in nations spanning Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
The report says that meeting the needs and guaranteeing the rights of children in Islamic countries will, in large part, determine the success of overall efforts to combat poverty, accelerate human development and promote global peace and security.
Children should be the focal point for Islamic governments in their goal to attain greater unity and solidarity, the report indicates.
The report stresses that “governments must form active partnerships with one another, and regional and international financial institutions.” It also urges the wealthier OIC member states to come to the aid of the poorer, and to “channel their assistance more deliberately to address the critical needs of children. “
Abdul Aziz Othman Altwaijri, director-general of ISESCO, noted that “investing in children and putting them at the center of development strategies are the most effective ways to eliminate poverty and meet global development targets.”
He said the report constitutes a landmark reference document in tacking and dealing with the issues of children in Islamic countries, particularly at the first Islamic Conference on the Child to be held in Rabat Morocco, from Nov. 7 to 9 this year. OIC, UNICEF and ISESCO will organize that ministerial conference.
“OIC member states and the broader Muslim community are to be looked upon to portray the true meaning of Islam’s vision on childhood issues and to demonstrate truly the spirit of Islamic solidarity by working together to develop policies and programs for the social uplift of our children,” said OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu.
“The future development of our countries depends on the quality of upbringing and orientation of today’s children; and so, the needs of these children are urgent.”
Some key findings of “Investing in the Children of the Islamic World” include:
• OIC member states, which include nations as diverse as Indonesia, Niger and Saudi Arabia, account for 11 of the 16 countries with the world’s highest child mortality rates. Around 4.3 million children under five die each year in OIC countries from preventable disease and malnutrition, over 60 percent of them dying before their first birthday.
• Children living in Islamic sub-Saharan Africa experience the most severe deprivations. Child mortality rates in this region are more than double the world average. A child born in African OIC member states can expect to live only 46 years, compared to 78 in industrialized countries.
• In many OIC countries, high fertility and lack of access to skilled medical care contribute to some of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. In Afghanistan, one in six pregnancies results in death; in African OIC member states, the average is one death for every 15 pregnancies. Globally, the average is one in 74.
• Primary school participation is below 60 percent in 17 African OIC member states. More than half the adult population is illiterate in some of these countries, and the proportion is as high as 70 percent among women. Four out of 10 children in the African OIC member states are out of school, as are a quarter of children in Arab member states. Only 26 out of 57 OIC member states are on course to achieve the primary education gender equality targets for 2005.
• More than a third of all children in OIC member states, excluding the Arab subregion, live with persistent malnutrition. Levels of exclusive breast-feeding within OIC member states are among the lowest in the world.
• HIV/AIDS is having a devastating effect on children in African OIC member states, where adult prevalence rates are 5.4 percent (7.9 million cases). Prevalence rates in Arab and Asian OIC member states are low by comparison — 0.3 percent and 0.1 percent respectively. But concentrated epidemics among intravenous drug users and commercial sex workers in some countries are major causes for concern.
