Publications
Summary of publication
This is the second national report on Vanuatu's progress and challenges in meeting the Millennium Development Goals.
The report highlights achievements including:
- sustained economic growth
- on-going reforms in the public service to make it more accountable and transparent
- legal sector reform, decentralisation and devolution of services and planning to provinces
- deregulation (especially telecommunications where increased competition has lowered prices and increased access)
- improved development policy, planning and performance management (although statistics remains a problem)
- and fee-free primary education for years 1 to 6 with primary schools directly managing their funds.
The report suggests a need for more attention to policy, civil society, custom, infrastructure, and service delivery to remote communities. Challenges include:
- 80 per cent of government expenditure is for wages and salaries, leaving little for development initiatives
- gaps in local human resources (though training and scholarships target some skills)
- high cost of service delivery due to remoteness, rugged terrain and few site for wharfs and landing strips
- inefficient marshalling of resources among departments and ministries in key sectors
- high rates of population growth and urbanisation
- disaster risk
- direct foreign investment pressures
- continuing rural/urban inequities in access to services and economic growth benefits.
It provides a detailed report on each Millennium Development Goal, including an assessment of the policy environment and whether the target will be met.
Full publication
Millennium Development Goals Tracking Report for Vanuatu (2010) [PDF 2 MB]