Latest development About The MDGs, Compiled by Ireti Adesida

Poverty, inequality and unemployment continue to destroy the livelihoods in Africa By Thomas Muchineripi Deve, Policy Analyst ( Africa ), United Nations Millennium Campaign

Shadow reports, citizen’s score cards, conference communiqués and poverty hearings undertaken in 2008 by the partners of UNMC in Africa have revealed that poverty, inequality and unemployment continue to destroy the livelihoods of many people on the continent and underline the need for governments to adopt urgent measures that will see them get back on track not only to meet Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, but exceed some of the targets wherever it is possible.
Major causes identified by all, range from the neo-liberal market-driven policies of governments to tolerance and promotion of self-serving corrupt practices in their own ranks. This has been complicated by their failure to usher in development and diversification strategies to combat poverty and prioritize the creation of decent employment and the right to work, as major components of accelerating progress towards meeting targets set in the Millennium Development Goals.
Feedback from Citizens score cards and shadow reports (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Burkina Faso) assert that African governments have unlimited potential to use the rights-based framework in MDGs to implement pro-poor policies that can guarantee sustainable development and poverty eradication. Tremendous progress and potential has been recorded in all goals except one and seven. The two are critical as they affect the capacity of nations to feed themselves and reduce inequality.
From the ensuing MDG shadow reports done by national coalitions participating in the GCAP campaign, it is apparent that most countries will not meet all the targets by 2015. Several factors that include absence of political will and accountability by national governments, inadequate funding, crippling debts and meagre aid from the north are stumbling blocks along the MDGs road.
All reports indicate that progress would have been phenomenal if governments had developed such policies with the active and full participation of the unemployed youth, women, small traders, fisher-people and so on.

Poor Performance on Health Indicators Keeps India Off-Track on the MDGsInter-agency meet emphasizes joint action for local monitoring of development goals
New Delhi , 19 Sep 2008

International organizations and civil society groups came together in a discussion led by the UN Resident Co-ordinator, Dr. Maxine Olson earlier this week to discuss the Government of India’s report on the status of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and explore how a joint strategy can be made operational across agencies working on this agenda.
The meeting was jointly organized by the UN in India, through the UN Millennium Campaign and Wada Na Todo Abhiyan (Keep The Promise Campaign), which is a civil society network monitoring the government’s performance on the Millennium & National Development Goals.
“While India is largely on track to achieving the MDGs, the health related goals and the reduction of the gender gap in education have emerged as areas for further attention”, said. Dr. Pranob Sen, Secretary, Ministry of Statistics & Program Implementation speaking on the outcomes of the India Country Report on the MDGs (2007). “Increased efforts are needed at the state level to complement the national monitoring efforts and programs, said Sen.
The country report has been released in time for the UN High Level Event on the MDGs which will take place at the UN headquarters in New York on 25 September. Leaders of more than 90 countries, including India ’s Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, are expected to discuss the progress that has been made on key development targets since the UN Millennium Declaration was adopted eight years ago during this meeting.
“Sadly, India ’s record on critical indicators such as Infant & Maternal Mortality continues to be among the worst in the world. This dismal situation is less surprising when you consider that we invest less than 1% of our GDP on public health”, says Sandhya Venkateswaran, Wada Na Todo Abhiyan. “With more than 80% of the health spend in the country being borne by citizens, health expenditure is one of the major reasons for indebtedness among the poor. In this situation, it is the health needs of women and children are sacrificed.”
“Efforts to monitor and achieve the MDGs in India must include a special focus on traditionally excluded groups. While this information is missing from the Government of India report, civil society groups have made the experiences of excluded groups such as Dalits, Adivasis, Minorities and Denotified Tribes central to their MDG related efforts,” said Ashok Bharti, Wada Na Todo Abhiyan. Bharti will be one of eight civil society delegates from across the world who will address the world leaders at the opening session of the UN High Level Event next week.
“ India has a crucial role to play in the achievement of the MDGs,” said Minar Pimple, Dy. Director, UN Millennium Campaign. “In areas like maternal mortality and malnourishment, India ’s progress will determine if the world is able to meet its development goals by 2015,” he said. An earlier statement released by the UN has pointed out that over 20 million more people will be counted among the country’s poor in keeping with revised poverty standard of $1.25 per day. This has not been taken into consideration in the India country report.
While agreeing on the need to collaborate towards a joint framework for the local monitoring of the MDGs in India , participants of the inter-agency meeting on the MDGs also called on the government to put in place an inter-ministerial mechanism to prioritize the MDG agenda across the central and state governments. Over twenty-five agencies including UNICEF, UNFPA, UNAIDS, DFID, Embassy of Sweden, USAID, Oxfam, Save the Children, Caritas, Alliance 2015, World Vision, World Bank and OneWorld South Asia were represented at the meeting.
For more information, contact Pasang D Lepcha (Wada Na Todo Abhiyan) at Tel: 011-46082371 to 74 / Mobile : 9810745404 / Email: pasang@wadanatodo.net

Join millions worldwide to STAND UP and TAKE ACTION against Poverty and for the Millennium Development Goals.

Last year, over 43 million people Stood Up to demand that world leaders keep their promises to end poverty and inequality . This year, help us break that record and send an even louder message to our governments.
Join the global movement of people who refuse to stay seated or silent in the face of poverty and broken promises to end it!
STAND UP and TAKE ACTION against Poverty and for the Millennium Development Goals.
Why Stand Up?
In 2000, leaders of 189 countries signed the Millennium Declaration agreeing to do everything in their power to end poverty. They pledged to do this by achieving the Millennium Development Goals, a roadmap to end extreme poverty by 2015.
Still, every day, 50,000 people die as a result of extreme poverty and the gap between rich and poor people is increasing. Nearly half the world’s population live in poverty, 70% are women. We have the power to change this.
Campaigners worldwide will STAND UP and TAKE ACTION to push their governments for more and better aid, debt cancellation, education for all boys and girls, healthcare, trade justice, gender equality and public accountability.
What’s new?
If you Stood Up last year you’ll notice a few changes.
This year, to make sure more people can take part, we will Stand Up between October 17 – 19, as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty unfolds across the world.
We are also asking you to Take Action as part of your Stand Up event. This could mean sending letters to your government, organising teach-ins, distributing books or other educational materials, donating blood, planting trees or any number of other ways to contribute towards ending poverty and inequality.

For more information about Participation contact this blog address link retlinks@yahoo.co.uk and http://www.standagainstpoverty.org