Swaziland

Swaziland is clearly on track to achieving the 8 MDGs related to universal primary education, gender equality, child mortality and environmental sustainability but lags behind in other MDGs goals.

The most important challenge is reducing poverty, where an estimated 69% of the population live below the poverty line. A major fuel of poverty in the country is HIV&AIDS, whose impact has compromised all efforts at meeting the MDGs.

The Swaziland economy is largely agriculture based. Successive years of drought have severely hurt food production especially subsistence farmers whose crop relies on rain fed agriculture, driving an estimated 40% of the population to rely on food aid. Economic growth has also declined steadily over the years, increasing concern that the country may not only miss the MDGs, but also the National Development Strategy whose vision is to eradicate poverty by 2022.

The first country MDG Report in 2003 warned that Swaziland was highly likely to miss most of the MDGs. Though a lower Middle Income Country, Swaziland has reacted by crafting a Poverty Reduction Strategy and Action Programme (PRSAP) which seeks to fast track policy reforms aimed at economic revival and poverty reduction. The PRSAP which was approved by the Government in 2007 is the principal vehicle for achieving the MDGs. Highlights of the policy include:

• economic stability and accelerated growth and broad based participation

• distribution of benefits of growth through fiscal policy

• empowering the poor to generate income and reduce inequality

• human capital development

• improvement of the quality of life of the poor

• improving governance and strengthening institutions.

The most important outcome of the PRSAP is to open the process of national development planning and budgeting to other national stakeholders including civil society. It is envisaged that the development of the 2008-2009 budget will be done by sectoral committees.

UNDP is supporting Swaziland on the important work of implementing the PRSAP through advocacy as well as capacity building for the sector planning committees.

PRSAP as a mechanism for attaining MDG's in Swaziland