Most nations see hopes dim for making MDG date (2015 Målene)
NEW YORK, 26 September 2008 (IPS): At a time when the worlds cash-strapped developing nations have admitted their inability to meet most of the UNs eight Millennium Development Goals, one Latin American country stands apart.
– Modestly and proudly, we announce to this Assembly that Chile is achieving the Millennium Goals set for 2015 – and ahead of time, Michelle Bachelet, president of Chile, told delegates at the UN mini summit Thursday.
Chile, which has almost tripled the size of its economy between 1990 and 2008, has “advanced strongly” on all fronts: health, education, housing, quality of life and social cohesion, she added, referring to some of the goals set by the United Nations.
With a total population of over 16,4 million people, Chiles level of poverty has dropped: from about 40 percent in 1989 to 13 percent today.
The Chilean president provided one of the few bright political sparks in a gathering of more than 100 world leaders, most of whom complained that the ongoing food, fuel and energy crises were undermining their attempts to achieve the MDGs set by the General Assembly back in 2000.
The eight MDGs include a
– 50-percent reduction in extreme poverty and hunger;
– universal primary education;
– promotion of gender equality;
– reduction of child mortality by two-thirds;
– cutbacks in maternal mortality by three-quarters;
– combating the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases;
– ensuring environmental sustainability; and
– developing a North-South global partnership for development.
The volatile situation has been aggravated by an unprecedented economic crisis facing the United States, described by some as a “gathering storm” threatening to devastate the developing world.
Asked if there were any other developing countries that have made public pronouncements on meeting all the MDGs ahead of the deadline, Salil Shetty, director of the UNs Millennium Campaign, told IPS: – Sadly, we do not really have easily accessible information at the country level in one place.
– But we do know that 47 countries are on track to meet the education goal, 44 countries are on track to meet the poverty goal and 34 countries are on track to meet the infant mortality goal, he noted.
Interestingly, Shetty said, this includes some of the poorest countries of the world like Zambia, which is on track on six of the goals. And some big countries like Brazil, which is on track for all except the sanitation target, he added.
The biggest challenges, he said, are the environment goals and reducing the maternal mortality rates by three-quarters.
Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, executive director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), said it would cost the world about 6 billion US dollar, less than a day-and-a-half of global military spending, to stop women from dying in childbirth.
– We will not achieve the MDGs unless reproductive health and the rights of women become a political and financing priority, Obaid told IPS.
The one-day high-level meeting Thursday saw the creation of a new coalition to meet the challenges facing MDGs: governments, non-governmental organizations, chief executive officers of transnational corporations, faith groups and philanthropists.
UN secretary general Ban has called for 72 billion dollar per year in external financing to achieve the MDGs by 2015.
– While the figure might seem daunting, it was, in fact affordable, particularly considering the 267 billion dollar spent last year by countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on agricultural subsidies alone, he stressed.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame was confident of his battle against poverty.
– In the context of fighting poverty and achieving the MDGs objectives, our second-generation poverty reduction strategy is gathering momentum in Africa, East Africa and in Rwanda, contextualized in greater stability and peace, he said.
He said in Rwanda, one of the recent success stories in Africa, “we are registering a healthy economic growth rate, currently averaging 7 percent annually, in an increasingly open and conducive environment that encourages domestic and foreign investors.”
Outlining some of the successes of the MDGs, the UN secretary-general said that measles vaccinations have prevented 7,5 million deaths. There have also been inroads against AIDS, while there is a surge in school enrolment in several African countries following the abolition of school fees, he added.
– Millions of poor households have risen out of extreme poverty, not just in China and India, but in many countries, including some of the poorest, Ban said. Still, he admitted sub-Saharan Africa actually saw the number of poor increase between 1990 and 2005.
Pronouncing her verdict on the high-level meeting, Alison Woodhead, spokeswoman for Oxfam International, told IPS: – The summit has proven that there is a renewed appetite for the fight against poverty.
She said the high-level meeting has injected new life into the MDGs. The sense of urgency on maternal health and fighting malaria is genuine progress. But the fact remains that this year there are more people living in poverty than last year, she pointed out.
– The financial crisis and recent increases in food prices have raised the bar even higher in meeting poverty goals, she said.
The big failure of the summit is the response to the food crisis, she said, because world leaders have simply not risen to the challenge, with commitments made months ago remaining largely unfulfilled.
– With 1 billion people suffering from acute hunger, what we have seen this week is nowhere near good enough, Woodhead concluded.
Kilder: Inter Press Service og The Push Journal
