SEVEN million children below the age of five suffer from malnutrition and stunted growth in the Middle East and North African countries, a United Nations children’s fund report said on Thursday.
Despite a decrease in child mortality rates, malnutrition remains an important issue, with malnutrition rates among the region’s 43 million children ranging from 10% to 24%.
In oil-rich Saudi Arabia, some 14.4% of children were malnourished and 19.9% of children suffered from stunted growth, the 70-page UNICEF report said. In neighbouring Kuwait, about 23.8% of children suffered from stunted growth.
”Many countries have taken the steps required to demonstrate their commitment, (while) others have made less progress in attaining the concrete goals pertaining to children’s health and overall well-being,” UNICEF Regional Monitor and Evaluation Officer Nimal Hettiaratchy told reporters.
The report, released by UNICEF’s regional office in Amman, outlined major achievements and failings of 20 countries throughout the region.
It focused on improving child welfare, including infant and
child mortality rates, malnutrition, school attendance, adult literacy, sanitation, immunisation and access to reproductive health services.
Hettiaratchy said that despite government efforts to overcome obstacles, 500 000 children in the region did ”not survive their first birthday,” while four million under the aged of five are not protected from measles, seven million are malnourished, five million do not attend primary school, 40 million have no safe water supply and 60 million have no adequate sanitation.
Many countries are plagued by armed conflicts and sanctions, domestic violence and child abuse, child labour, gender discrimination, the spread of HIV/AIDS, social exclusion of refugees and orphaned children, he said.
The UNICEF report will be the basis of Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s report to a UN special session on children taking place in New York, he said.
The Middle Eastern and North African regions comprise of Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestinian territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. – Sapa-AP