Regions and Countries

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p. 4 of 20 BACK | NEXT I. Country Performance Assessment A. Economic Performance Assessment B. Poverty Assessment C. Assessment of Socio-Environmental Performance D. Governance: Sound Development Management E. Implementation Assessment II. Country Operational Strategy III. Sector Strategies IV. Regional Cooperation V. Donor Activities and Aid Coordination VI. Cofinancing and Catalyzing External Resources VII. ADB’s Operational Program VIII. Economic and Sector Work Program IX. Local Cost Financing

Country Assistance Plans - Vanuatu : I. Country Performance Assessment

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C. Assessment of Socio-Environmental Performance

1. Gender Issues

11. Clear gender differences exist in Vanuatu, in terms of access to resources and entitlements. Current social, economic and political indicators highlight the disadvantaged position of women in all areas. Vanuatu has a high fertility rate, with each woman bearing an average of five to six children. Average birth rates are higher in rural areas, and a linked to such issues as the spacing of children, low use of birth control and teenage pregnancy. Poor nutrition of both mothers and infants is a major health concern. Girls are less likely than boys to finish their schooling, or even to continue into secondary school. Women are more likely to be involved in unpaid tasks and work, on average, 16 to 17 hours a day, compared with men's average work of 10-11 hours per day³. Women are generally more successful in small businesses and are more reliable borrowers of bank funds. Nevertheless, women are rarely involved in formal decision-making.

12. In 1995, the Vanuatu Government ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women and included a National Plan of Action for Women in its Development Plan. Vanuatu's CRP includes a range of important and ambitious policy objectives aimed at improving social equity and sustainability. Because of existing inequalities, special emphasis has been given under the CRP to assessing, from the design stage, the distribution of positive and negative gender impacts of reform.

2. Human Development

13. Vanuatu is an archipelago of 83 mainly volcanic and mountainous islands, about 60 of which are inhabited. The country's total population in 1999 is estimated at 193,219 and the population growth rate is extremely high, at about 3 percent. About 80 percent of the total population live on the eight largest islands, in rural areas and mainly along the seacoast. There are over 100 vernacular languages in use in Vanuatu, and the country has a dual language policy. Vanuatu is also very vulnerable to cyclones, volcanic activity, and other natural disasters.

14. Vanuatu ranks third to last on the Human Development Index for Pacific Island nations (HDI = 0.425 in 1999). Majority of the population live a subsistence life style in remote rural areas. The nation has persistent problems of health, education, and population. The main factors contributing to increasing poverty in Vanuatu are geographic isolation, and cultural traditions, which have made progress difficult. As of 1997, the adult literacy rate was low at 33.5 percent; life expectancy was low at 63 years for male and 66 years for female; and infant mortality was high at 45 per 1,000 live births. Traditional diseases such as malaria continue to be of concern. Improvements in terms of access to clean water supplies and better sanitation in rural areas are still needed to address a number of health related problems. The high growth rate of population with over five percent per annum during the recent years in urban centers, resulted from urban drift, is causing serious youth unemployment and rapid deterioration in the urban safety and sanitation.

3. Environment

15. Pressures on land and the marine environment in Vanuatu have only become visible in recent years, as communities move from subsistence to increasing reliance on cash incomes. Daily activities are resulting in reef depletion, soil erosion and contamination resulting from inadequate waste disposal. Environmental resources are now also being depleted by large-scale projects, in logging for instance. High population growth and urbanization are also beginning to take their toll on the environment. At a community level, awareness of the relationship between resource use pressure and declining stocks appears to be higher than in other Pacific countries⁴. At a national level, the Government does have a National Conservation Strategy, and various ministries have actively undertaken environment awareness and training programs in outer islands. Nevertheless, much work remains to be done, including through legislation, to 'mainstream' major environmental policies.

3. Siwatibau, S. Gender, Population and Development Sector Review for Vanuatu, 1996.
4. See Johannes, R. E. Government-supported, Village-based Management of Marine Resources in Vanuatu, 1998.

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