MDGs
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The document argues that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) give poor people false hope for three main reasons: 1) The goals were set 10 years into the timeline and resources were not committed until two years later, losing valuable time. 2) Resources have been wasted due to unnecessary competition and duplication between UN bodies in addressing the same problems. 3) The short remaining timeframe, enormous work still needed, and issues with data accuracy make achieving the goals unrealistic, leading to false hopes for poor communities.
MDGs
- 1. THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS GIVE POOR PEOPLE FALSE HOPE In September 2000 at the UN Summit, heads of Governments from 189 countries across the globe signed the millennium declaration. This millennium declaration was “built on pledges made in the series of important UN conferences of the 1990s” (Global Future 1 st quarter 2004). From this declaration on human rights, gender equity, environment, peace, and the priorities of the least developed countries, the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were set. Among several values it preached, many were those who believed that the MDGs would be the best source of hope for the poor. But, the MDGs give the poor false hope. Details of the MDGs show that the time period set for majority of the MDGs is 1990 to 2015 (i.e., 25). The declaration itself was made at the Millennium Summit. Meaning, the leaders of the world set the goals ten years into their own schedule. The world leaders also showed lack of urgency in executing the MDGs; they waited till the International Conference on Financing for Development 2002 before committing money and other resources to the programme (Implementing the Millennium Declaration UN fact sheet 2002), thus loosing two more precious years. The Iraq war shifted debate from “How the international system can reduce poverty to whether there was an international system at all” (McArthur J. et al 2004),1 hence the failure of rich nations in delivering on the Monterrey Commitment. Implementing the Millennium Declarations October 2002 gives a number of statistics on human development. The question is how these statistics were reached. Taking Ghana for instance, the last population census was conducted in 2000; i.e. 8yrs. ago. This raises doubts about the accuracy of the figures the UN quotes. There is also the issue of different UN bodies running programmes, which seek to address the same problems. In 1998 for example, WHO launched Roll Back Malaria (RBM) to halve malaria associated mortality by 2010. With no report released by RBM, the UN still allows it to run alongside MDG 6. The same applies to the WHO tuberculosis programme of 1991, which coexist with MDG 6’s tuberculosis programme. Wouldn’t the UN and WHO be more efficient if they concentrated all the funds on one programme other? The end result is waste and inefficiency
- 2. My concluding opinion is the MDGs ought to be met but, considering the stillbirth of the whole programme, the short time frame, the unnecessary competition among the UN bodies and the enormous work that is to be done, it will be suicidal for poor people to put their hope in it. Cephas Joshua Beujung Samwini Kwame Nkrumah University Of Science and Technology. Kumasi, Ghana. 1 Give detail reference ….