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In
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Millennium Development Goals - MDGs
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The civil society at the global alliance for development
Source:
ICAE-REPEM
This is the presentation that Fanny Gomez, representing the International Council for Adult Education (ICAE) and the Women’s Popular Education Network (REPEM) gave in the meeting named "Global Alliance for Development: Getting to the end of the way to meeting the Millennium Development Goals" held in Barcelona. November 2007.[see more]
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In September 2005, the United Nations hosted a Millennium+5 Summit to evaluate the progress towards the United Nations Millennium Declaration adopted by over 150 Heads of State at the UN Millennium Summit in September 2000. Since 2000, however, many governments have not acted on their promises, and the gap between rich and poor continues to widen. While many NGOs argue that the MDGs are not ambitious enough, at the present rate of action, some observers speculate that the world will not meet the current goals in one hundred years, let alone by 2015. (From Global Policy Forum)
In 1995, the heads of State and Government of the world, gathered in Copenhagen at the World Summit for Social Development -amid the series of international conferences through which the United Nations renewed its global social agenda in the post-cold war era- made a solemn commitment to eradicate world poverty.
The Millennium Declaration was adopted in September 2000 by 189 world leaders who commited to "free all men, women and children from the abject and dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty" by the year 2015. For that purpose, eight Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) have been drawn that cope with a variety of issues such as the promotion of education, maternity health care, gender equality, poverty reduction policies, child mortality, AIDS and other fatal deseases. These goals were set for the year 2015 with reference to the international situation prevalent in 1990.
Upon undertaking to eradicate poverty, government leaders around the world clearly stated that for the first time in the history of humanity it was possible to achieve such a goal using the resources, knowledge and technologies now available to humankind.
And if this goal was feasible, then it would be outrageous not to achieve it. Hence the statement made in the Copenhagen Declaration that the eradication of poverty is not merely an ethical and moral imperative, but also a political one, as the international system will not be able to sustain itself much longer on such enormous inequalities as was rightly foreseen even then.
The Declaration contains numerous commitments to enhance the future of humanity in the new century. The United Nations Secretariat subsequently drafted the list of eight objectives, each with a set of targets and specific indicators. The first objective is to halve the proportion of the world’s people living in extreme poverty and suffering from hunger. The full list of MDGs is:
- 1) Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
- 2) Achieve universal primary education
- 3) Promote gender equality and empower women
- 4) Reduce child mortality
- 5) Improve maternal health
- 6) Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
- 7) Ensure environmental sustainability
- 8) Develop a global partnership for development
These goals are currently being discussed both internationally and nationally, with many organizations deliberating how to include them in the various global or national strategies.
Since the adoption of the Millennium Declaration, civil society organizations (CSOs) have have made some basic questions about the MDGs: Why should the public mobilise behind them when so many earlier UN goals remain unfulfilled? Do the MDGs apply to everyone in the global street? Do the Goals concern only aid? What trade-offs took place in reaching the "Monterrey Consensus" and how fair are they? Do the MDGs represent a new global bargain or the old-style impositions?
Many women's organizations are also exploring how to "engender" each MDGs goal, and are calling for a linkage, within the UN, of the Beijing ten year review and the Millennium Declaration five year review. There is enormous concern about the co-optation of "gender and development" and "gender mainstreaming" in a way that would seek to engender a failed development model.
Controversial discussions took place in the Copenhagen Plus Five summit regarding the report "A Better World For All", published by the UN Secretariat, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank (WB) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). NGO pressing arguments resulted in the inclusion of point 8 of the MDG (see in this report "Background: Copenhangen +5, Geneva 2000").
Millennium +5 Summit
In September 2005, the United Nations hosted the Millennium +5 Summit to review the progress so far in the implementation of the UN Millenium Declaration, adopted by 150 Heads-of-State in September 2000.
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In-depth
reports |
| Detailed
reports on key issues |
Financing for Development
The opportunity that came up in Monterrey can turn into a road to nowhere without an injection of political will.
Disarmament
Every day, millions of men, women and children are living in fear of armed violence.
The G8 Summit 2005
The Group of Eight (G8) Summit 2005 held in Gleneagles, Scotland from 6 to 8 July was aimed to focus on poverty in Africa and climate change but the leaders commitments fell far short of the expectations.
Beijing +10: Conference on Women review
This global process was held in 2005 to review the implementation of the Platform for Action signed at the UN 4th World Conference on Women, in Beijing 1995.
Making literacy a priority
The eradication of illiteracy calls for renewed efforts.
The gender gap in education
Countries aren't fulfilling their commitment to getting girls and women into school.
The right to adequate housing
The right to housing is a basic human right, essential to the fulfilment of a decent life.
The water crisis
If access to water is a basic human right, should its provision be left in the hands of private corporations?
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Campaigns |
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The Millennium Campaign
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Background: Copenhangen +5, Geneva 2000 |
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The role of NGOs |
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Social Watch reports |
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Regional meetings and campaigns |
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Analysis and opinions |
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Gender in the MDGs |
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Health goals |
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Indigenous peoples in the MDGs |
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Calls for attention to developed world |
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