Global South Development Magazine

After the Copenhagen climate summit in 2009, the world was mesmerized again for a couple of days during the MDG review summit this year.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are simply admired by many as they are quite straightforward, modest, practically measurable and, in presence of firm political commitment and global solidarity, quite easily achievable too!

The MDGs have been at the centre of development objectives in the developing world since they were framed in the year 2000 at the UN Millennium Summit. Almost all developing nations take into account of the MDGs when they are framing their domestic development policies. It is very likely that the pattern will continue for many more years.

On the other hand, the MDGs have served as the crux of cooperation that binds the developed and the developing world. In many instances, the MDGs have been used as bargaining tools in negotiations between the two worlds.

Interestingly, the MDGs are not aimed at the developing world only. The goal 8 requires the developed world to fulfill its promise of development assistance. So the MDGs are the tests both rich and the poor world will have to pass. So the victory over the MDGs will be equally shared by both developing and the developed world.

Rich countries have renewed their soft commitment to increase support in the developing world, but given the pervasive financial crisis at home, they will have to think of and find alternative sources for helping the poor. In absence of that, all the promises will go in vain again. In that sense, however, the review summit can be taken as a success as it gave space to alternative viewpoints of financing development in the developing world.