Millennium Development Goals - Coursework Example

MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS (MDGs) of the MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS (MDGs) The United Nations organized a summit during the September 2000 and came up with a set of declarations they aimed to achieve by the year 2015 (UN 2000). According to the United Nations Organization (UN 2000), the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are a set of eight development goals established during that summit meeting. The world leaders signed a commitment to eradicate and fight poverty, deal with hunger, find ways to eliminate illiteracy, ensure environmental conservation (fight degradation of environment), and do away with the discrimination against women. The summit set a target for each of the MDGs by 2015. The monitoring of progress was based on indices for 1999. Although some countries have made considerable efforts in achieving the blueprints, other countries have experienced challenges that hindered achievement of MDGs. Assessment of the construct of MGDs, existing success stories and challenges could help policy makers consider some of the challenges as the basis for developing future frameworks. The nature and design of MDGs According to the report commissioned by United Nations (UN Millennium Project 2005), the need to achieve the MDGs required an explicit formulation of goals and the targets required each objective to act as the indicator of either success or failure. According to that project, the first goal of MDGs was eradication of extreme hunger and poverty by targeting to halve the number of people living on income less than one dollar a day by 2015 as well as targeting to halve the proportion of those suffering from hunger. The second goal involved achievement of universal primary education that aimed at fighting illiteracy, the MDGs focused to ensure children complete basic primary schooling by 2015. The third objective of promoting women empowerment and gender equality, the MDGs targeted to eliminating the gender disparity in cadres of education systems. The fourth goal involved reduction of child mortality by two-thirds focusing on under-five years children. The fifth goals include improvement of maternal health, which aimed at reducing the ratio of maternal mortality by three-quarters by 2015. The sixth goal addressed the potential to combat diseases like malaria and HIV/AIDS. The goal targeted to either halt or reverse the spreading of HIV. Besides, it aimed to ensure eradication or reversal of incidences of major diseases like malaria (UN Millennium Project 2005). The seventh goal, which sought to ensure environmental sustainability aimed at spearheading the adoption and integration of policies and programs to curb losses associated with environmental resource by the individual country’s principles. Besides, the goal aimed to halve the number of people that lacks the access to basic sanitation and safe water for drinking. The last goal intended to develop a global partnership to ensure global development. The act targeted to attain good governance, reduce poverty indices, and enhance programs that make it possible for least developed countries to gain from tariffs, debt relief, cancellation of debts, and the implementation of generous development strategies to reduce poverty (Ahmed and Cleeve 2004). Assessing countries with individual needs, for instance, the landlocked countries formed a pivotal pillar for this goal. Provision of essential drugs at affordable prices was also proposed as a means of tackling disease and poverty (UN Millennium Project 2005). From the assessment of the construct, design, and nature of MDGs, it is apparent that it aimed to reduce poverty and promote the development for all. However, the shift focused on developing countries that were lagging behind mainly because most of these countries lacked good governance, high corruption, and lack of commitment to MDGs (MDG Achievement Fund 2013). The most important factor was the commitments to taking full responsibilities in strengthening good governance to lay down the basis for MDGs (Fukuda-Parr and Greenstein 2010; Fukuda-Parr and Hulme 2011). The UN made it evident that by addressing issues of corruption, drafting policies, and investment agenda that ensure the private sectors play an important role in leading growth and development strategies will play a significant role in attaining the MDGs (Mukherjee et al. 2011). Besides, efforts to empower the private sector aimed at ensuring maximum resource mobilization from the domestic chufas. Many previous literatures reported that reduction of poverty correlates with the attainment of economic growth hence the need to empower local mechanisms that play a pivotal role (Fukuda-Parr and Greenstein 2010). Achievement of the development and economic growth means that all issues related to hunger, gender inequality, education, health, and the environment are well addressed. Provision of basic needs by reduction of poverty seems to be a pivotal factor in the attainment of the MDGs (Clemens et al 2007). The same rhetoric is found in the World development report by the World Bank drafted in 2000/2001 on issues related to poverty (Mukherjee et al. 2011). Success stories in achieving MDGs According to PMNCH, WHO, World Bank and AHPSR (2014) countries like Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Nepal, Peru, Lao PDR, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Vietnam are a good example of success stories in halving the proportion of most parameters stipulated in MDGs’ agenda. For instance, China reduced the under-five year’s mortality rate by 80% (from initial 61 to 12 for every 1000 births) by the year 2013. Besides, the mortality reduced by 71% to 23 from 80 for every 100 000 from 1991 to 2013. The country also strengthened its workforce in the health sector by over 30 000 personnel, access to clean water increased by 94.2% in the remote areas by 2011. These successes are attributed to good governance, empowerment of private sector to increase generation of revenue (UN 2010; 2014). Conducive social and political environment made it possible to implement the MDGs (PMNCH, et al. 2014). Challenges in achieving MDGs Perhaps countries like Haiti, Afghanistan and Somalia are a good example of failures in implementing the MDGs. However, both countries have unique challenges. For instance, Haiti, experienced natural disaster that brought the country to its knees making it difficult to catch-up. Political instabilities, lack of good governance in Afghanistan and Somalia played a pivotal role in making the environment hostile for MDGs to take its course. These countries lag behind in every index that monitors MDGs (UN 2010; 2014). Lack of good governance, political instabilities, wars, and hostile environment arising from both natural and human forces are significant challenges to effective implementation of MDGs (Mukherjee et al. 2011; Poku and Whitman 2011). Way forward Post 2015 In contemplating the future, it is important to focus on existing numbers of alternatives. Besides, exploration of the alternative constructs could help in outlining the broad contours that may bring change to the world. These approaches are appropriate because conceiving a new framework for all nations may be difficult given that previous acts of MDGs received critics from all quarters. In the assessment of the possibilities after 2015, it is important to ask questions. The question on whether to draft another framework similar to MDGs should arise. Perhaps, many would question the necessity of such a framework, because of its content in relation to the MDGs. Many would agree that maybe modification of MDGs by subtracting or addition of goals could be appropriate, but how such an attempt may bring universal change may not be realistic (Ziai 2011). However, the world needs a shift from more generalized MDGs to a contextualized approach to the formulation of MDGs may receive universal acceptance because of the difference in space and time (Poku and Whitman 2011). The MDGs framework laid the background for future framework; it is without doubt that another framework as a point of reference is necessary post the 2015 era. The focus on poverty and deprivation by the MDGs attracted the much-needed concern given that many people in the world face these problems (Ziai 2011). The MDGs galvanized the support to improving these conditions, although the journey may be long, the aspiration and destination must remain alive. Learning from experience should be the driving force in guiding future frameworks. In fact, doing the same things in a different way o doing different things may yield tangible results. Modifying the MDGs may somewhat be complicated or nuanced. Opting for addition of items in the MDGs should be based on emerging issues, previous experience and the need to amalgamate the MDGs with the identified items (Deepak 2011). The current world has emerging questions that relate to poor governance, human rights, gender equity, and climate change. These issues impacts directly on the implementation and attainment of policy frameworks like MDGs. Increasing the indicators is likely to detract implementation from the simplicity that lured many nations toward adopting the MDGs (MDG Achievement Fund 2013). Addition of goals would need double litmus testing hence generation of robust data. Subtraction will ensure merging and well definition of the duplicated or overlapping goals; however, such approaches are likely to strike out some aspects of MDGs (Deepak 2011). The most important path is to ensure a thorough visitation of the MDGs indicators and aligning them with human and social development. The alignment should take into account the elements of discrimination and equity. References list Ahmed, A & Cleeve, E. 2004. Tracking the Millennium Development Goals in sub-Saharan Africa. International Journal of Social Economics, 31(1/2): pp. 12-29 Clemens, M.A., Kenny, C.J & Moss, T.J. 2007.The Trouble with the MDGs: Confronting Expectations of Aid and Development Success, World Development, 35(5): pp. 735– 751 Fukuda-Parr, S & Hulme, D. 2011. International Norm Dynamics and the “End of Poverty”: Understanding the Millennium Development Goals. Global Governance, 17: pp. 17– 36 Fukuda-Parr, S. & Greenstein, J. 2010. How Should MDG Implementation Be Measured: Faster Progress or Meeting Targets? IPC-IG Working Paper, Brasilia: International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth MDG Achievement Fund. 2013. Advancing gender equity: promising practices case studies from the millennium development goals achievement fund. New York: United Nations Development Programme Mukherjee, J.S Barry, J.D Satti, H. Raymonville, M. Marsh, C.M.S, & Smith-Fawzi, M.K. 2011. Structural Violence: A Barrier to Achieving the Millennium Development Goals for Women, Journal of Women’s Health, 20(4): pp. 593-597 Deepak, N. 2011. The MDGs Beyond 2015, Research Paper 38, May 2011, South Centre, Geneva PMNCH, WHO, World Bank and AHPSR. 2014. Success Factors for Women’s and Children’s Health: Policy and programme highlights from 10 fast-track countries. Geneva: WHO Poku, K.N & Whitman, J. 2011. The Millennium Development Goals and Development after 2015. Third World Quarterly, 32(1): pp. 181–198 UN Millennium Project. 2005. Investing in Development: A Practical Plan to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals. New York. United Nations Development Programme United Nations. 2000. Millennium Declaration, DPI/2163. New York: United Nations. United Nations. 2010. The Millennium Development Goals Report 2010. New York: United Nations United Nations. 2014. The Millennium Development Goals Report 2014, New York. United Nations Development Programme Ziai, A. 2011.The Millennium Development Goals: back to the future? Third World Quarterly, 32(1): pp 27–43 Read More