Maravi

Taking stock of the MDGs

Taking stock of the MDGs
By Editor
Sunday March 11, 2007 [02:00]

United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon’s reminder to the world to take stock of the progress made towards achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is timely. It is timely because as Ban himself notes, this year marks halfway the point to the 2015 targets. A lot is already known about MDGs. But there is no harm in putting into perspective a few things about these targets. The MDGs are drawn from the actions and targets contained in the Millennium Declaration that was adopted by 189 nations-and signed by 147 heads of states and governments during the UN Millennium Summit in September 2000. The MDGs are basically eight goals to be achieved by 2015 that respond to the world’s main development challenges.

The eight MDGs break down into 18 quantifiable targets that are measured by 48 indicators. They include eradication of extreme poverty and hunger; achieving universal primary education; promoting gender equality and empower women; reducing child mortality; improving maternal health; combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensuring environmental sustainability and development of a global partnership for development.

The MDGs aim to synthesise, in a single package, many of the most important commitments made separately at the international conferences and summits of the 1990s. They also recognise explicitly the interdependence between growth, poverty reduction and sustainable development. They further acknowledge that development rests on the foundations of democratic governance, the rule of law, respect for human rights and peace and security.

The MDGs are based on time-bound and measurable targets accompanied by indicators for monitoring progress; and bring together, in the eighth goal, the responsibilities of developing countries with those of developed countries, founded on a global partnership endorsed at the International Conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey, Mexico in March 2002, and again at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development in August 2002.

A lot has been said about whether or not it is possible to achieve the MDGs within the timeframe that has been set. Optimists and pessimists alike have made their views quite clearly about whether or not the MDGs are just as good as an any other ambitious targets that have been set in the past in as far as finding the route to economic development and social advancement is concerned.

Some optimists, such as the immediate past UN secretary general Kofi Annan, have their own views about what has to be done if these targets are to be achieved. Here are Annan’s views on what he thinks needs to be done to achieve the MDGs:

“We will have time to reach the Millennium Development Goals - worldwide and in most, or even all, individual countries - but only if we break with business as usual. We cannot win overnight. Success will require sustained action across the entire decade between now and the deadline. It takes time to train the teachers, nurses and engineers; to build the roads, schools and hospitals; to grow the small and large businesses able to create the jobs and income needed. So we must start now. And we must have more than double global development assistance over the next few years. Nothing less will help to achieve the goals.”

But as UN secretary general Ban admits, the true position at the moment is that many countries are off-track in terms of achieving MDGs. This is particularly so in Africa. And Zambia is not an exception.

An assessment of the progress, or the lack of it, towards achievement of MDGs in Zambia is no tencouraging. We do not have to go target by target to prove why Zambia is off-track in terms of achieving the MDGs. We know that more than three quarters of Zambians live with and experience poverty everyday. Many households continue to go hungry.

President Levy Mwanawasa constantly reminds us of a family in Lusaka’s Ng’ombe township, where family members agree on which one of them will take an earlier meal but miss the latter so that chance is given to those who missed the earlier and the cycle continues like that. This may sound comical, but it forms part of the anecdotal evidence that shows that Zambia is far from achieving the MDG on eradication of extreme poverty and hunger.

In the health sector, the picture shows a state of hopelessness. While a lot has been said about the need to improve maternal health care, in line with the fifth MDG, it is reported that Zambia’s maternal mortality ratio at the moment is 728 per 100,000 live births. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) resident representative in Zambia, Deji Poopola, is on record saying that Zambia’s maternal mortality rate ratio of 728 per 100,000 live births is among the highest in the region.

As if this were not enough, other diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria are not relenting. Malaria is still the largest single killer disease in Zambia. The rate of HIV infection in the country is still high at 16 per cent and many of those who need treatment are yet to get access to it.

We are still struggling in the implementation of policies that will promote gender equality and empower women.
In terms of ensuring environmental sustainability, we have not done enough as a country because we still have challenges in terms of air and water pollution. The recent pollution of the Kafue River by Konkola Copper Mines shows why we are yet to get more serious about environmental concerns.

With these realities, it is difficult for anyone not to agree with secretary general Ban that we are off-track in terms of achieving MDGs. And if we ignore the words of Annan on what it will take for us to achieve the MDGs, we should as well shelve our hopes for sustainable economic and social development.

Success in terms of MDGs will require sustained action from everyone involved. And this is where the eighth MDG comes in, the need to develop a global partnership for development, which is clearly absent at the moment. There is need for all those involved to move quickly and implement the commitments made in order to reach the targets. Those who have made commitments to provide the resources should start matching their promises with action. Without a sustained global effort and implementation of commitments, we might as well completely forget about the MDGs.

Labels: DEVELOPMENT, EDITORIAL, MDGs

posted by MrK @ 5:29 AM