Children in the countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region1 have witnessed remarkable progress in development during the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) era. Starting from comparatively advanced levels, many countries made further progress in implementation of their children’s rights agenda since the beginning of the 21st century. However, progress has been uneven – among countries as well as within countries. The uprisings, which started in 2011, and the on-going humanitarian conflicts affected significant numbers of people, including children and women, and caused stagnation or even reversal in what had been achieved until then in some MENA countries. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda, adopted in 2015, sets new more ambitious targets globally and calls for nations to develop their own country-specific agendas for the post-2015 period based on achieved progress to date.
In the MENA region, there is no consolidated source of information presenting achievements and existing disparities in the implementation of children’s rights. This publication is a first attempt to consolidate available statistical evidence, for the period 1990 - 2015 which demonstrates progress and achievements of MENA countries in the realization of the rights of their children. But it is not merely about numbers and percentages, because behind any statistics are the lives and well-being of thousands or millions of children.
By focusing on MDG and SDG indicators relevant to children, the publication serves as a basis for assessing the achievement of the global MDG targets and for the setting of national SDG targets. Some additional variables, which can explain trends and most recent status vís-a-vís the targets, are also examined at a national or sub-national level where possible. Rather than presenting regional averages, this report uses data at the national and sub-national level. Inter-country and in certain instances intra-country comparisons, building upon available data, help identify disparities between countries as well as in-country inequalities, thus pointing to the most deprived children. There are emerging patterns revealed through some specific indicators, which would at times require further, more in-depth analysis to explain causes and identify possible ways to address gaps. Such evidence-substantiated knowledge can in turn serve as a good reference when setting national targets and designing tailored policies and programmes, focused on the most marginalized people including children.
This publication identifies some data gaps in a number of areas relevant to children, particularly in the context of the SDG agenda and its indicators’ framework. Therefore, the publication can serve to substantiate in-country dialogues and inform specific commitments to strengthen national statistical systems. This can be done through further expansion of both administrative and household-based data collection and analysis, filling in these gaps and ensuring production of data necessary to report on progress towards set national SDG-related targets.
