Weighing up the MDGs

The official aim of the MDG (Millennium Development Goals) summit, held at the UN in New York City last month, was to take stock of and accelerate the progress towards achieving these goals which address issues including hunger, education and HIV/AIDS by the target date of 2015. Many had already pegged the UN summit as a talking shop where nothing would be achieved but was billed by NGOs and other advocates of the poor as a critical moment to hold governments accountable for their commitments on the MDGs

An MDG assessment report released by the UN in June, indicated that the world has slashed the percentage of people living in extreme poverty – classed as earning less 

than $1.25 a day – in the past two decades.

However, it also noted that hunger and malnutrition are on the rise in some regions, and stubborn gaps persist between rich and poor and between urban and rural communities.

Girls also lack the same opportunities as boys, especially in education – the report found that a girl in one of the poorest households is four times more likely than an equivalent boy to not be attending school.

It also added that although Latin America and the Caribbean have made important progress on child health and gender equality, fewer than half of women in some African regions receive care from skilled health workers when giving birth.

To highlight lack of progress in these areas, events were held across New York City in order to capture the interest of the public and media and to communicate their messages around their chosen MDG.

The anti-poverty NGO ActionAid held a stunt on the eve of the summit at the Lincoln Centre, where a giant cow, chicken and goat gathered to draw attention to the plight of local farmers and their role in the first Millennium Development Goal – halving world hunger by 2015.

By the time the summit kicked off on Monday, security in the streets surrounding the United Nations was tight – blacked out limos and secret service men with aviator sunglasses were a common feature.

Such activity gave the impression that critical and substantial announcements and decisions were being made inside the United Nations itself but only a handful of leaders were prepared to to commit themselves to further funding and initiatives.

On the first day of the summit, Nicholas Sarkozy’s announcement that he would champion a Financial Transaction Tax as Chair of the G20 from 2011 pleased many, who commended the championing of a system can raise money to tackle poverty, even in tough economic times.

On the second day, Hillary Clinton announced a “1,000 Days: Change a Life, Change the Future” initiative, which will help combat child under nutrition, proving once more that the USA is continuing to lead the world in the fight against hunger.

The UK’s deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announced an increase in UK funds for malaria from £150m a year to £500m by 2014 in his closing speech to world leaders on the final day of the summit – he also pledged to halve deaths from the disease in 10 African countries.

Australia’s Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd also pledged $5 billion to education aid efforts over the next 5 years and crucially - 70% of that aid would be directed at basic primary education.

There was a significant amount of positive opinion forming around the idea of innovative financing and financial transaction tax but a long way from political consensus - Greece and France have said they are in favour, but the UK has avoided the issue and Italy and Australia are not favorable.

The outcome document was considered to be adequate in terms of the language and commitments by various delegations, who were pleased by the political commitment lined up behind Ban Ki Moon’s initiative around maternal and child health, which was launched in prolific press conference with speakers including Hilary Clinton, Melinda Gates and several African presidents.

Farmyard animals and ActionAid activists protest in New York on the eve on the UN summit, calling for investment in local farms in poor countries to fight hunger. ActionAid says that more than 1 million children could die of hunger by 2015 and half of Africa will not have enough food in the next 10 years if governments do not act now. Photo: Charles Eckert/ActionAid’

By tackling Poverty comprehensively, using two types of instrument,in the same ways as the two blades of a pair of scissors cut through paper: instruments to mitigate its consequences."

                                                                          - - Chilean President Sebastian pinera