Since 1990 several world top conferences were held whereby a broad agenda for humanitarian
development was adopted, including selected goals, a time scheme and measurable indicators to
reach that development. In September 2000, 189 member countries of the UN accepted the
“Millennium Declaration”. In the declaration a number of interrelated development goals were
summarized in a world agenda. These development goals are indicated as the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs). The MDGs consist of eight main goals, 18 targets and 48
indicators. The first seven main goals are interrelated to each other, because these goals are
directed on durable poverty eradication.
The first MDG is “Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger”. This goal has two targets: Target 1:
“Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than one dollar a
day”. The indicators of this target are:
1. Proportion of population below $ 1 per day (PPP-values)
2. Poverty gap ratio (incidence x depth of poverty)
3. Share of poorest quintile in national consumption
Target 2: “Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger”.
The indicators of this target are:
4. Prevalence of underweight children (under-five years of age)
5. Proportion of population below minimum level of dietary energy consumption
Poverty is a multidimensional phenomenon comprising, cultural, social, political and ideological
dimensions. The backwardness and deficiencies in the mortality and health situations are also an
expression of poverty. With this paper an attempt is made to find out if there are links between
poverty and mortality in Suriname. This paper draws from Household Budget Survey 1968/1969
(HBS-1968/1969), Household Budget Survey 1999/2000 (HBS-1999-2000), the Multiple
Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2000 and other relevant health indicators.
Chapter 2 deals with poverty and poverty lines.
Chapter 3 deals with health indicators
Chapter 4 deals with mortality
Chapter 5 deals with possible links between poverty and mortality
Chapter 6 contains some conclusions