Bangladesh ranks poorly in child flourishing: UN

Bangladesh has ranked 143rd among 180 countries in the Child Flourishing Index, which means the country is seriously lagging behind when it comes to the survival and wellbeing of the children, said a United Nations report.

Bangladesh also positioned sixth out of eight South Asian countries.

The report, "A Future for the World's Children?" jointly published by The World Health Organization (WHO), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and The Lancet Commission on Wednesday, indicates that most of the countries are not adequately protecting children's health, their environment and their future.

It mentions that in 2015, the world nations agreed on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. 

The ultimate aim of the SDGs is to ensure that all children, aged between 0-18, are able to flourish and lead happy, meaningful lives, now and in the future. An analysis on SDGs estimates that there is a $195 per capita financing gap exists to achieve the SDGs.

The report introduces a new global index concerning this issue, the Child Flourishing Index, which showed the combined score on surviving and thriving children among 180 countries across the world, where Bangladesh stands at 143rd position with a score of 0.38 out of 1.

It reveals that Bangladesh is relatively less concerned about future generations. 

The country needs to put a high priority on ensuring that children's needs are met, by delivering entitlements, such as paid parental leave, free primary healthcare at the point of delivery, access to healthy and sufficient amounts of food, state-funded or subsidised education, and other social protections.

Norway topped the flourishing index and has the best opportunity for children's survival and well-being, followed by the Republic of Korea, and the Netherlands.

3rd from last in South Asia

Bangladesh has ranked sixth in the flourishing index in South Asia. Nepal is just behind Bangladesh with 144th, while Afghanistan ranked 171st.

Other five South Asian countries including India and Pakistan have ranked above Bangladesh, with Sri Lanka at 68th, Maldives 72nd, Bhutan 113th, India 131 and Pakistan 140.

Sustainability Index

The health and future of children and adolescents worldwide are vulnerable to ecological degradation, climate change, and harmful commercial marketing practices, which are pushing heavily processed fast food, sugary drinks, alcohol and tobacco towards children, says the UN report.

It states that the children are the most vulnerable to climate change effects from greenhouse gas emission and from industry-linked pollution of air, water and land.

The UN report generates another index called the Sustainability Index, which measures a nation's per capita carbon emissions and the ability of a nation's children to live healthy lives.

Bangladesh placed in 39th position in the sustainability rank, as the country emits 80 percent less CO2 relative to the 2030 SDG target. 

Moreover, the top-ranked countries in the flourishing index fell behind in the Sustainability Index.

The bottom thirteen countries in this index are high-income countries because of their excessive CO2 emission relative to the 2030 SDG target.

Addressing the issue, former prime minister of New Zealand and current co-chair of the commission Helen Clark said, "Despite improvements in child and adolescent health over the past 20 years, progress has stalled, and is set to reverse.

"It has been estimated that around 250 million children under five years old in the low and middle-income countries are at risk of not reaching their developmental potential."