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Countries and Regions Country Assistance Plans Document
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Country Assistance Plans - Marshall Islands : I. Country Performance Assessment
C. Assessment of Socio-Environmental Performance1. Gender Issues11. Women in RMI continue to lag behind men in all areas inspite of the predominantly matrilineal society. Decision making in most aspects of life is made by the men. While women remain underrepresented, there are a few in senior levels of the government, one in the Parliament and none in the Cabinet. With high fertility and birth rates, health of women is the most immediate problem facing the Government. While there are some improvements in statistics, the fertility rate in RMI remains high. Health of women is therefore an immediate concern. ADB’s ongoing loan is addressing primary health care and health education among women. The Ebeye project will address the problems of prenatal care and improve accessibility to better health services on Ebeye. The proposed Skills Development and Vocational Training programs will specifically address the needs of women in RMI to improve their "employability” and social status. 2. Human Development12. The shortage of skills at all levels is a major barrier to sustainable economic growth. Major impediments to the development of skilled manpower are the low level of educational attainment of the labor force which averages 8.5 years of schooling due to: low quality of education provided in the elementary schools; lack of access to education in the outer islands where, in some cases, there is only one elementary school or none; high dropout rates with only three of the 100 students of grade one completing grade 12. ADB’s ongoing education project is helping to address in part some of the issues in basic education. With ADB’s assistance, the Government plans to rationalize and strengthen skills development and vocational training to meet skilled manpower shortages. 13. ADB’s ongoing health and population loan is targeting the primary and preventive health care needs of the population. Extensive network of primary health care centers and trained staff is expected to significantly improve health service delivery. 3. Environment14. The environment conditions in both urban centers of RMI (Majuro and Ebeye) continue to deteriorate. The major factors contributing to the problem are: overcrowding, lack of solid waste management, unregulated dumping of debris and liquid waste in the lagoon, absence of properly managed waste sites and indiscriminate littering old machines and vehicles. Deteriorating environment is a major source of health hazards and works as a disincentive for tourism. Poor environment is a health hazard in Ebeye. With ADB assistance, the Government is planning essential steps to improve the environment in the Ebeye atoll. 15. Some improvements in garbage collection have been made in Majuro although the increasing fisheries related activity is likely to further stretch the capacity of waste management facilities. As part of the overall environment protection plan developed with ADB and US assistance, a solid waste management system for Majuro is being actively considered by the Government with support from other external donors. 16. Bilateral support for waste management in Majuro has helped improve the garbage handling and overall cleanliness of the atoll. Several other environment projects as well as coastal resource management is under consideration. The environment problems in Ebeye relating to sanitation and waste disposal are being addressed under the Ebeye health and infrastructure loan.
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