The developing world’s progress is seriously lagging on global targets related to food and nutrition, with rates of child and maternal mortality still unacceptably high, says the Global Monitoring Report (GMR) 2012, released today by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

A release to the GNA said recent spikes in international food prices have stalled progress across several of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the report says.

The report said, targets on education and ratio of girls to boys in schools are within reach.

In contrast, the world is significantly off-track on the MDGs to reduce mortality rates of children under five and mothers, and as a result these goals will not be met in any developing region by 2015.

Progress is slowest on maternal mortality, with only one-third of the targeted reduction achieved thus far.

The report said progress on reducing infant and child mortality is similarly dismal, with only 50% of the targeted decline achieved.**