Achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals

This blog's purpose is to connect in an every widening and deepening manner with others across the globe in support of the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals.

Let's be the first generation to end poverty by 2015 with the United Nations' Eight Goal Millennium Campaign.
1. End Hunger 2. Universal Education 3. Gender Equity 4. Child Health 5. Maternal Health 6. Combat HIV/AIDS and other diseases 7. Environmental Sustainability 8. Global Partnership.

Learn more about what this weblog is trying to accomplish at the new PBworks Wiki.

What If - Millennium Development Goals Ending Poverty 2015

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Let No Family Go Hungry But on What Terms

Sphere: Related Content The Stand Up Take Action and the UN MDG Summit are now both over and in my view it was all too little and too much at the same time, but more on that later.The events of the past week have induced me to change the focus with this blog to trying to go a bit deeper and include more relevant information on particular issues,with each post, especially those before Congress.
So while, I will still be responding when someone like Emily V. of Care2 and ThePetitionSite Team urges us to tell Congress to enact a global strategy to reduce world hunger, I will also be examining the issue more closely and raising questions.
Food.- It's one of our most basic needs. But the number of people suffering from chronic hunger is increasing every year. Today, one-sixth of the world's population goes hungry.The Global Food Security Act now before Congress would make it faster and cheaper to feed the more than 1 billion people facing chronic hunger. If passed, this bill would give more flexibility in food emergencies, like buying food locally and regionally, as well as providing social safety net programs for the world's poor. Plus, by developing long-term agricultural projects, it will help women farmers to increase their income and pull their families out of poverty. Tell Congress to pass the Global Food Security Act »
The overall sentiment behind the Care2 request is great but the details, as often is the case with these calls for action, are sparse. This involves a controversial bill S. 384: Global Food Security Act of 2009, which at least in its earlier form, was opposed by a number of organizations, some of which have been supported in this blog.
The Global Food Security Act has recently had a hearing before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. A video of the hearing is provided below.xx
[Some technical information first part starts at 19:38 and second Part starts at 122:20]
Committee on Foreign Relations: concluded a hearing to examine promoting global food security, focusing on the next steps for Congress and the Administration, after receiving testimony from Jacob Lew, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources; Rajiv Shah, Administrator, United States Agency for International Development (USAID); and Global Agricultural Development Initiative Cochairs, Dan Glickman, Washington, DC, and Catherine Bertini, Cortland, New York, both of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

This blog has looked at the issue of Global Food Security before with the post Commitment to Global Food Security Sadly Lacking. All of the Millennium Development Goals, including Millennium Development Goal 1. End Hunger not only need to be attained by 2015, they also need to be sustained after that and that will not happen without a viable global food security program.
The level of disagreement, among those who would be assumed to be on the same side of an issue having to do with feeding the developing world, has a fairly wide range. The specific organizations opposing S.384 back in 2009 and perhaps still so today are a more numerous as well as a more varied crowd. One of the important concepts raised in this argument is balancing Food Security with Food Sovereignty. This is the sticking point with S. 384 from me. It seemingly places Millennium Development Goal 1. End Hunger in opposition with Millennium Development Goal 8. Global Partnership.

Some are opposed because they see the legislation as being in contrast with the principles of their organization. Whether this remains true for the final version of the bill remains to be seen.Many progressive organizations accuse the bill of being written in favor of large industrial agricultural firms, specifically in this case Monsanto.
Some organizations are basically opposed to genetic modification in any form as a means of feeding the world. At this point, I am not, but I will be studying this and the supposed negative effects of the so-called Green Revolution more closely.

Others see the failure of the Green Revolution being a result of political neglect not bad science.
Timothy Geithner and Bill Gates: A New Initiative to Feed the World
We should not be facing this challenge today. In the 1960s and '70s the world understood that agricultural development was an indispensable tool in alleviating hunger, reducing poverty, and driving economic growth. A combination of new, high-yielding crops developed by scientists such as Norman Borlaug and sustained investments from the U.S. and other countries helped save hundreds of millions of people from starvation in India, Mexico and elsewhere. Yet during the past three decades the world's interest in agriculture waned. Donor nations moved on to focus on other issues. The result is that there has been a sharp drop in aid for agriculture. In 1979, nearly 18% of all official development assistance world-wide went to agriculture. In 2008, about 5% did. Timothy Geithner and Bill Gates: A New Initiative to Feed the World - WSJ.com
The truth is that I am very likely relatively more conservative than many of those in the organizations opposing this bill. I do see technology as being an essential tool for meeting the Millennium Development Goals. I also remain an advocate of free enterprise and social enterprise as a means of facing these challenges. This can make for some strange political bedfellows on various issues (in this case Geithner), which means more thinking on my part on the subject.
Even though I may have some issues with Mr. Geithner, I still come down at this point with favoring the bill. My rationale is that CARE Urges Passage of Global Food Security Act; Commends Bipartisan Support in Both Senate and House. Besides the fact that they are making the request for support, their reasons for doing so seems not to be tied to the question of genetic engineering, rather they seem to have more on-the-ground pragmatic concerns related to their own efforts to get food to those most in need.
"Transporting food from the United States to hungry people in developing countries is expensive, slow and unpredictable -- it does not make sense to spend 65 cents of every dollar in food aid on processing and transportation," said Dr. Gayle.
CARE places special emphasis on investing in women and girls' empowerment. Passage of the Global Food Security Act could benefit families and move entire communities out of poverty by providing women farmers access to the necessary tools, skills and financial resources to feed their families and get their crops to local markets. ONE also seems to be supporting the bill as some of the articles cited below indicate.
I have been going back and forth on this issue. Here is some information on the Lugar­Casey
 Global
Food
 Security 
Act
 (S.
384)
 that lists organizations for and against the bill from 2009.
Below is some more information on the organizations that were opposing S.384 in 2009, though some of the links are old it appears until the language in the bill is changed most still do.

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Sunday, September 19, 2010

ONE for Four MDGS Equals Better World of Babies Free of HIV

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I got two messages from the folks at ONE last week. One was from Sheila Nix, U.S. Executive Director for ONE, personally asking for our help to send a message to the White House which will soon be announcing how much they'll be committing to the Global Fund. The message to President Obama reads:

Please commit $6 billion to the Global Fund over the next 3 years.

The focus is to make sure that no child is born with HIV.



Over 52,000 ONE members have already asked the President to give the Global Fund the support that it deserves. Let your friends and family know that this is the moment to add their name too.

The second message was on the same basic subject, taking a different tack and proving flattery can get you somewhere.

You write some great blogs about the MDGs and the work that is needed in pursuing and supporting them. Today ONE launched the NO CHILD BORN WITH HIV BY 2015. This campaign will be an intense burst for a week channelled through www.one.org, culminating with the UN Millennium Development Goals Summit next Monday (20-22nd September) in NYC. It is a really entertaining way to show some support! Hopefully it will generate some internet buzz as babies get sent around threatening to 'Throw the bottle out of the Pram' or 'Put us on the naughty step' unless we show some support.
Check it out at http://www.one.org/international/actnow/babyprotest/
We would immensely appreciate your support by signing the online petition and – if you're so inspired – to blog about it or share it with your friends by email or on Twitter. This is a cause that can only be made good with the help of the public. Every name on the petition counts.
I am so inspired though I usually don't go for the cutesy stuff. The policy being advocated by ONE does take the approach that asserts that the Next Millennium Development Goals 'should be more holistic' SciDev.Net in addressing the issues facing the developing world. By focusing on preventing babies from being born with HIV, ONE addresses 4 of the Millennium Development Goals 3. Gender Equity 4. Child Health 5. Maternal Health and 6. Combat HIV/AIDS and other diseases together. Getting the funding commitment is the first step in a long struggle.

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Friday, September 17, 2010

UN: Millennium Development Goals Still Realistic Yet Still Out of Reach

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Today starts the Stand Up Take Action End Poverty Now! 3 day worldwide mobilization. Our Bloggers Unite event Make NOISE to End Poverty Worldwide is taking part online. Right now we have 39 bloggers including myself tapped to do posts over this weekend in anticipation of the UN MDG Summit next week.

There are numerous opportunities to learn about or make known your support for the Millennium Development Goals. For the next 3 days thousands of change-agent organizations across the globe, large and small, will be inspiring millions of people to Make NOISE in support of the Millennium Development Goals. Avaaz had a petition, which I signed, urging world leaders to step up their commitments to end extreme poverty, and save millions of mothers and children.

Millions of pregnant women and children die every year because of malnutrition or inadequate health services. It's shocking, but if our governments meet aid promises to women and children at the poverty summit later this month, it is avoidable.
Ten years ago world leaders committed to drastically reduce the disgraceful number of maternal deaths by 2015, but in fact aid levels remain shamefully low. Now, some governments could be prepared to boost aid for mothers and babies, but they need massive public support to get all governments to step up.
In days our leaders meet in New York. Let's build a global outcry against needless deaths. Sign the petition below to double aid for maternal and child health -- it will be delivered to key government leaders inside the meeting in New York.

There is still the weekend before the UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals begins so here is the link to the petition. Right now they are at 152,338 and are trying to reach their target of 175,000.

It has been a mixed bag over the last 10 years since the Millennium Declaration was signed by 189 nations, during which although significant advances have been made to tackle poverty there is still plenty left to do.

-- one-third fewer mothers have died during childbirth due to increased aid and investment in maternal health care. But millions of pregnant mothers are still dying needlessly and every year 9 million children die before their 5th birthday.

There is already a specific mechanism to deliver aid for HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis, but no similar system exists to support health for mothers and children. Experts feel one of the best ways to have an immediate impact is to ensure that aid is doubled and pooled and coordinated to effectively bring health care to the mothers and children who need it the most.

There are only 5 years left to meet the deadline for the MDG targets. Avaaz correctly points out the danger of our leaders using the recession to shirk responsibilities to help the world's poorest. This despite the likely result of losing the progress already made and that helping to poor could in fact according to Joseph Stigliz would help the world's economy not hurt it. It is also in spite of the fact that the Millennium Development Goals are still seen as achievable.

UN: Millennium Development Goals still realistic
A new draft declaration on the UN Millennium Development Goals -- which the UN will formally adopt later in the month -- finds that the program's aims are still achievable despite recent setbacks, including the global financial crisis. Though the global depression continues to represent an obstacle to realizing the MDGs, UN officials say that through effective implementation and renewed commitment they can be achieved even in the poorest countries. The Millennium Development Goals, agreed to by the UN in 2000, aim to slash poverty, reduce hunger and improve gender equality worldwide, among other targets. Reuters

Avaaz and others are advocating for an approach agreed to by SciDev.Net which argues that the Next Millennium Development Goals 'should be more holistic'.

"MDGs do address many but not all key development challenges," said Andy Haines, director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. "This report for the first time really casts an interdisciplinary spotlight on the MDGs, what they will have achieved and where we need to go afterwards."
"The broad picture of MDGs is patchy progress, and not at a pace capable of achieving the goals by 2015," said Jeff Waage, director of the LIDC, who added: "Is this just a matter of effort or are there fundamental problems with the MDGs themselves that will hamper their achievement?"
All of this flurry of activity is in anticipation of UN taking up MDGs as 2015 deadline looms.
Governments around the world are looking to forge agreement on a strategy for the last five years before the Millennium Development Goals deadline amid projections that none of the poverty, health or education milestones will be reached. "The final five years of the goals are going to require two things: more money to be spent and better policies," said Peter Yeo, executive director of the Better World Campaign and a vice president of the United Nations Foundation.

Avaaz, a community of almost 6 million people, also makes the point that it has always been the world's citizens that have led the fight against poverty and pushed our leaders to take critical action, and now it is up to us again. I believe that it is an obvious argument that the Web provides the greatest platform for world citizen collaboration.

Our job is to make sure that they don't become complacent by continuing to Make Noise.

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Thursday, September 16, 2010

From Stand Up, Take Action 2010 - Tomorrow the World will MAKE A NOISE FOR THE MDGs

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Stand Against Poverty

CITIZENS' VOICES AGAINST POVERTY WILL CRESCENDO IN NOISES HEARD AROUND THE WORLD AS HEADS OF STATE TRAVEL TO UN SUMMIT

Citizens Will Make their Expectations that Governments Achieve the Millennium Development Goals Too Loud to Ignore at Events Across the Globe on September 17-19

On September 17-19, people across the globe will turn up the volume on their call for heads of state gathering at the United Nations on September 20-22 to demonstrate leadership in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).


Citizens will gather at events across continents to amplify their support for the eight MDGs, a set of targets to eradicate extreme poverty and its root causes by 2015 that marks its tenth anniversary this week. They will be singing, chanting, blowing whistles, playing drums, blowing vuvuzelas, banging pots and pans and setting off alarm clocks. The sounds of these noises emanating from villages, towns and cities around the world as part of the three day mobilization "Stand Up, Take Action, Make Noise for the MDGs" will make citizens' commitments to track and support their countries' achievement of the Goals visible, vocal and impossible to ignore.


"The Secretary General's recent report on the Millennium Development Goals has made it clear that with only five years until the deadline by which world leaders have promised to eradicate extreme poverty and its root causes, the active partnership of citizens and governments is more important than ever," said Corinne Woods, Director of the UN Millennium Campaign. "The citizens participating in 'Stand Up and Take Action' on September 17-19 will make it clear to heads of state gathering at the United Nations the following week that they support and want to be a part of the realization of the Goals."


The mobilization will serve as a launching point for a new initiative of real-time monitoring by citizens of basic service delivery in their communities. The availability of and access to quality, reliable and consistent basic services are essential for the MDGs to be realized at the country level. The Millennium Campaign will work with governments, civil society, technology partners and the media to launch pilot citizen tracking programs in India and Kenya in 2011.


Note to editors:

"Stand Up" events being organized across the globe include:

● Concerts across Bangladesh, Cambodia, Columbia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Korea, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, and Zimbabwe, where local artists will sing their support of the MDGs.

● In Jordan, 40,000 children are expected to simultaneously blow whistles in support of the MDGs, in an attempt to set a new world record.

● In India, "Stand Up" will kick off with a film festival on September 17.

● In New York City, Lincoln Plaza will be the hub of Stand Up activity on September 19, with exhibitions on promises and progress to end poverty as well as speakers and performers.

●In Paris, French citizens and civil society organizations are organizing a flash mob and Stand Up moment in front of the Eiffel Tower on September 18.

●In Washington, D.C. citizens will come together with local musicians, drummers and bands just two blocks from the White House, to amplify their voices in support of the MDGs.


•In the Philippines, various fiestas in towns and cities nationwide will be dedicated to the call for the achievement of the MDGs, including events from September 17-19 where citizens will play indigenous materials including coconuts and bamboo guitars.

• In Columbia, the United Nations, in partnership with the National Soccer League, will invite 30,000 spectators at one of the most important soccer matches of the season to Stand Up on September 19.


•In Egypt, religious leaders will give sermons calling for an end to poverty in more than 50,000 mosques and at Sunday masses in churches across the country. A national youth rally will take place on September 17 at the historic site of the Giza pyramids, entitled "The Sphinx Stands Against Poverty."

The "Stand Up and Take Action" mobilization comes amidst an ongoing process of citizen engagement with their leaders in support of the MDGs. Upcoming activities include the launch of an alternate report on MDG progress in India and the Philippines on September 15; a dedicated MDG Week in the Philippines House of Representatives where citizens will launch a roadmap for poverty reduction; and a collective appeal in support of the MDGs to be presented to the government of Nepal on September 15.

Last year, more than 173 million people participated in "Stand Up," setting a new Guinness World Record. "Stand Up and Take Action" is organized globally by the United Nations Millennium Campaign, in collaboration with a wide range of partners, including the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP).

For event listings, photos, sounds from Stand Up events and more information, visit www.standagainstpoverty.org

About the UN Millennium Campaign

The UN Millennium Campaign was established by the UN Secretary General in 2002. The Campaign supports citizens' efforts to hold their governments to account for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. The Millennium Development Goals were adopted by 189 world leaders from rich and poor countries, as part of the Millennium Declaration which was signed in 2000. These leaders agreed to achieve the Goals by 2015. Our premise is simple: we are the first generation that can end poverty and we refuse to miss this opportunity. For more information, visit www.endpoverty2015.org.

Copyright © 2010


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Wednesday, September 8, 2010

A Plan to Address Literacy Is a Plan to Address the Millennium Development Goals

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Today, BloggersUnite celebrates International Literacy Day, the day on which UNESCO reminds the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally.

September 8 was proclaimed International Literacy Day by UNESCO on November 17, 1965. It was first celebrated in 1966. Its aim is to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies. On International Literacy Day each year, UNESCO reminds the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally. Celebrations take place around the world.

Since its foundation in 1946, UNESCO has been at the forefront of global literacy efforts and is dedicated to keeping literacy high on national, regional and international agendas.

September 8th International Literacy Day

Literacy is a cause for celebration since there are now close to four billion literate people in the world. However, literacy for all – children, youth and adults - is still an unaccomplished goal and an ever moving target. A combination of ambitious goals, insufficient and parallel efforts, inadequate resources and strategies, and continued underestimation of the magnitude and complexity of the task accounts for this unmet goal. Lessons learnt over recent decades show that meeting the goal of universal literacy calls not only for more effective efforts but also for renewed political will and for doing things differently at all levels - locally, nationally and internationally.

This is obviously tied to Millennium Development Goal No. 2. Universal Education with 67.4 million children not being provided an education.

While four billion people in the world are literate, there are still one in five adults or some 796 million adults lacking minimum literacy skills. About two-thirds of those are women, so Millennium Development Goal 3. Gender Equity is also a factor.

Since January 2003 through resolution A/RES/56/116 the United Nations has declared the United Nations Literacy Decade, 10-year focus on the topic and International Plan of Action for the Decade.

Why is literacy important?
Literacy is a human right, a tool of personal empowerment and a means for social and human development. Educational opportunities depend on literacy.Literacy is at the heart of basic education for all, and essential for eradicating poverty, reducing child mortality, curbing population growth, achieving gender equality and ensuring sustainable development, peace and democracy. There are good reasons why literacy is at the core of Education for All (EFA).
A good quality basic education equips pupils with literacy skills for life and further learning; literate parents are more likely to send their children to school; literate people are better able to access continuing educational opportunities; and literate societies are better geared to meet pressing development .

Zunia reports that Plan International is putting forward an Education Strategy 2010-2013 that covers the last 3 years of the UN Literacy Decade.

Plan is committed to high quality education for children and young people. This strategy focuses on Plan's 3 education priorities - improving equal access, enhancing quality and strengthening education governance.
Each strategic priority has a clear set of key actions designed to bring about change, not only for families, schools and communities, but also at national and international levels.
The strategy places particular emphasis on the need to eliminate gender discrimination, as well as focussing on other key challenges, such as the inclusion of marginalized children.

Education and literacy are the human capital basis for achieving the other 7 of the United Nations' Eight Goal Millennium Campaign. From September 17 to 19 we need to Make NOISE to let the United Nations Summit on the Millennium Development Goals, taking September 20 to 22, 2010, know of their importance and the importance of all the Millennium Development Goals.

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Monday, September 6, 2010

TEDxChange: Learn more about the Millennium Development Goals

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The Stand Up Take Action Mobilization event, in which the Bloggers Unite event Make NOISE to End Poverty Worldwide is participating, takes place just before the United Nations Summit on the Millennium Development Goals or MDGs. The Stand Up Event is primarily focused on advocacy in support of the MDGs. There will be other events occurring while the UN Summit is taking place. One of particular interest is related to TED and to the Gates Foundation, websites that provided the original inspiration for this effort. Relevant TED sites are provided in the right hand column of this blog for background information on the issues involved under Learning More About the Issues.

TEDxChange: Learn more about the Millennium Development Goals
On September 20, live in New York and webcast around the world, TEDxChange will examine the UN’s Millennium Development Goals, or MDGs.
Another event, occurring at the same time as the Stand Up Take Action events, will be taking place at the home of the Millennium Promise at Columbia University. Millennium Campus Conference (www.mcc2010.com) September 17-19.
Held on the eve of a major UN Summit discussing extreme poverty, MCC 2010 will provide you with two full days of networking, stories, workshops, a career fair and keynote addresses from today's leading advocates for sustainable international development. You will hear from global advocates including:

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Saturday, September 4, 2010

Can the MDGs End Poverty by 2015? asks the UN - What have they done so far? asks a billion others

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The claim is that We Can End Poverty with Millennium Development Goals by 2015: UN Summit, 20-22 September 2010, New York"> - Annotated

With only five years left until the 2015 deadline to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on world leaders to attend a summit in New York on 20-22 September to accelerate progress towards the MDGs.

“Our world possesses the knowledge and the resources to achieve the MDGs” the Secretary-General stated in his report in preparation for the September summit. “Our challenge today is to agree on an action agenda to achieve the MDGs.”


Here is the question one billion people at the bottom of the global wealth scale could be asking themselves this month. Are the Millennium Development Goals helping me? At least one person has made this question explicit.
Are Millennium Goals helping me? « Ethnicsupplies’s Weblog
This week the Department for International Development here in the UK has issued a new report ELIMINATING POVERTY : Building Common future, which spells out a new direction and desire to address issue of poverty in the developing world and amongst other things the report looks at the impact of the economic downturn on those in the developing countries. And at the UN summit of September 2000 the richest nations in the world made pledges to the development world that are summed up in what has become to be known as the Millennium Development Goals or MDGs.

So, how do we monitor the MDGs? When the United Nations meets in a few weeks do discuss the Millennium Development Goals what will they be using as their benchmark? How will they assess how effective programs have been?
MDG MONITOR :: Tracking the Millennium Development Goals"> - Annotated
The MDG Monitor shows how countries are progressing in their efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). With the 2015 target date fast approaching, it is more important than ever to understand where the goals are on track, and where additional efforts and support are needed, both globally and at the country level.
The MDG Monitor is designed as a tool for policymakers, development practitioners, journalists, students and others to:

Diigo tags: Millennium Development Goals United Nations mdgs Monitor
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