E/CN.4/1999/48
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(e)
Advancing gender equality and equity, including the economic,
legal and political empowerment of women;
(f)
Ensuring sustainable food security in low-income households and
the right to food;
(g)
Regenerating the natural resource base on which the poor depend;
(h)
Good governance and political empowerment of the poor; and
(i)
Providing social protection for vulnerable people, including
indigenous peoples.
84.
The United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) has
developed a list of indicators to facilitate the United Nations system's
assessments at the country level. Account has been taken of the World Summit
for Children, the International Conference on Population and Development, the
World Summit for Social Development and the Convention on the Rights of the
Child. All United Nations Funds and Programmes conducting development
activities in a country shall join together, under the leadership of the
resident coordinator, to prepare UNDAF, in full consultation with the
Government concerned as well as with civil society, local NGOs and
international donors.
Entities such as the specialized agencies and the
Bretton Woods institutions are encouraged to join in the preparation of UNDAF,
in order to maximize the United Nations system's collaboration in support of
country priorities.
85.
Some of these indicators are particularly relevant for the eradication
of extreme poverty, among them the estimated population size by age and sex,
urban-rural population distribution, life expectancy at birth, and mortality
and fertility indicators such as infant mortality rate by sex, under-five
mortality rate by sex, maternal mortality rate, total fertility rate and
current population growth rate.
Regarding health conditions, UNDAF
indicators suggested were: proportion of the population with access to health
services; proportion of under-five children underweight by sex; proportion of
births attended by appropriately trained health personnel; contraceptive
prevalence rate, by method and age; and HIV adult prevalence rate.
86.
In addition, the World Social Summit set four immediate health and
nutrition related goals: that by the year 2000, life expectancy should be not
less than 60 years in any country; mortality rates of infants and children
under five years should be reduced by one third of the 1990 level or 50 to
70 per 1,000 live births, whichever is less; reduction in maternal mortality
by one half of the 1990 level; and attainment by all peoples of the world of a
level of health that will permit them to lead a socially and economically
productive life and, to this end, ensuring primary health care for all.
87.
As regards education, UNDAF used indicators reflecting the basic
educational status of the population, with emphasis on basic education. They
are: adult literacy rate by sex; net primary enrolment ratio by sex; per cent
reaching grade 5; and net secondary enrolment ratio by sex.