UN Millennium Campaign: Latest News

Transforming Lives Today for Tomorrow and Beyond

Sebastian Majewski — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:02:38 -0500

I feel very much at home here, and in tune with the purpose of your meeting.
I have been among the first women in several positions, which was not always easy, including certain minor inconveniences: when I became a Member of Parliament in the Netherlands in 1981, there was only one toilet – for the men – near the Plenary. When I became a member of the World Bank Board of Executive Directors in 1991, it was the same: One labeled “Gentlemen” in the antechamber of the Board Room – I had to walk a corridor to the “Women”…

On a more serious note: throughout my career I have benefited incredibly from organizing and networking with my – alas, always few – female peers. In the early 1980’s as an MP; as Ambassador, in Geneva, I initiated the group of women Ambassadors – which still meets – and as Development Minister I co-founded the so-called “Utstein” Group, including Clare Short, Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, the German Development Minister until last year, and Hilde Johnson from Norway, now with UNICEF.

The information sharing, mutual support and friendship was truly empowering. Forming women caucuses and alliances is so important: the degree of women’s organization matters much more than their sheer numbers. Of course – you need to have female colleagues to be able to do so – as a Member of the Board of the World Bank I had to wait until the number of female Executive Directors doubled: from 1 to 2…

But at least during my tenure there, even that institution, dominated by male hard-nosed economists came to the conclusion that the best investment in developing countries is investing in their women, particularly by sending girls to school – even if the Bank continued to insist on charging user fees for primary education for some more years, impeding poor girls’ access.

Indeed, no country ever developed while stifling the energy, productivity and creativity of half of its population. And today nobody disputes that gender equality in capabilities and access to opportunities accelerates economic growth. It took another few years for women to make their impact on the World Bank’s Governing body, the Development Committee, traditional dominated by male-only Central bank Governors. But with Clare, Heidemarie, Hilde and me, during a few years 4 out of 24 Members were women. And we organized ourselves well: coordinating our interventions, agreeing in advance on points to push, speaking order and division of labor. We were so effective that a Finance Minister of a Very Important Country, while walking out of the meeting, sighed: “I am all for gender equality, but this is too much…”
Well – we were 4 out of 24. Now – alas – it is back to 2: France and Indonesia…

All through my career I have worked on Global Poverty, and it has been incredibly motivating to be acknowledged as a role model in that field. You visit villages in Africa or Yemen and see the little girls in school recognizing that I am a woman too. So women can do it! And while I was serving on the Board of the World Bank, a young professional in one of my colleagues’ offices jotted me a little note saying that: “My country would never have sent a woman if you had not pestered the boss all the time saying why don’t you have any women in your office here?” These experiences have been very inspiring.

But on content, I believe the most important mile stone I have contributed to, is the agreement at the UN’s Millennium Summit which gave birth to the Millennium Development Goals.
These Goals are pre-eminently about “Transforming lives today for tomorrow and beyond,” as they comprehensively deal with the multiple facets of the daily struggle of the poor

Women’s equality and rights are central to the Millennium Declaration, and, while this is elaborated in Millennium Goal 3, all the goals are about women:
• Goal 1 – reducing poverty: most of the world’s poor are women: poverty is not gender-neutral – neither is power or wealth;
• Goal 2 – education – particularly of girls;
• Goals 4 and 5: regarding child mortality and reproductive health: speak for themselves;
• Goal 6: the AIDS-pandemic has a female face – and not just in terms of in the burden of care: most newly infected, particularly in Africa are women (so women need empowerment to negotiate safe sex);
• Goal 7 regarding the environment: it is women who are generally the care takers of biodiversity and the primary manager of domestic energy resources.
I will come back later to Goal 8, which is specifically about what rich countries need to do.

These Goals are interrelated. We need progress on ALL of them to “transform lives for tomorrow and beyond”. Not one Goal can be achieved in isolation from or without progress on the others. Take health for example: If people are sick they are less productive and able to lift themselves out of poverty and hunger (Goal 1); sick kids do not go to, or learn less at school (Goal 2); and lack of reproductive health damages women’s opportunities (Goal 3). But all these goals are in turn essential to meet the Health Goals: poverty prevents people from seeking care; lack of nutrition causes many diseases (Goal 1); literacy (Goal 2) is needed both for prevention campaigns to be effective and for patients to understand treatment; unsafe drinking water (Goal 7) is the biggest killer of infants, while poor water management is also the main cause of malaria spreading; and poor countries will simply not be able to invest sufficiently in their Health systems, without donor support (Goal 8).

BUT NONE OF THE GOALS WILL BE ACHIEVED WITHOUT RADICAL PROGRESS ON GOAL 3.

Gender equality is a moral imperative, as across the globe women are abused from cradle to grave: – At least 60 million girls are missing from the statistics because of selective abortion, infanticide or neglect, especially in India and China; – Rape and sexual violence are increasing; – Every year, two million girls between the ages of five and fifteen end up as sex workers; – Another 2 million girls undergo genital mutilation – joining the 120 million women who have undergone that harmful practice; – Domestic violence against women is widespread in most societies; – Every year, blood vengeance claims thousands of young women’s lives

But – as the World Bank discovered more than a decade ago, there is also the economic imperative: Reducing gender inequality has significant returns; empowering women by improving their living conditions and enabling them to actively participate in the social and economic life of a country is the key for long-term sustainable development. And in countries where fewer girls than boys go to school per capita GNP is much lower. Some studies even suggest that women’s participation in government would also reduce corruption.

But to empower women, we need progress on the other goals.

Again, let me give an example of these inter-linkages:

Girls’ education is an outstanding example of “Transforming lives today for tomorrow and beyond”, as a mother’s education is a strong and consistent determinant of the number of children she will have but also of her children’s school enrollment and attainment and their health and nutrition, which define their lives as adults.
In Uganda, farmers who have had 4 years of primary education produce 7% more than those who have no education. If a Zambian mother completes her primary education, her children have a 25% better chance of surviving. In Bangladesh, educated women attend political meetings three times as often as women with no education. And girls who have completed their schooling are far less likely to contract HIV.

But, for girls to be able to go to school, we also need progress on the Poverty Goal – even without user fees, education has a cost, be it uniforms or pencils or just the absence for household chores.

And progress on the health goals: who takes care of the siblings when the mother is sick or dies? The girls- who then cannot go to school.
And on the AIDS goal: the present teacher mortality because of AIDS in parts of Southern Africa is such that teachers are dying faster than they are recruited: what’s the point of building schools without teachers?

And progress on the safe water target under the Environment Goal: Who has to walk for miles to get water for the family? In poor rural areas investment in water supply is often the surest way to increase enrolment of girls.

And most definitely we need progress on Goal 8, the Goal containing rich countries’ commitments. The gap this year between aid committed (at the G8 Gleneagles Summit 5 years ago) and actual aid given is some $ 17.5 billion. Regarding my example of girls’ education: many developing countries have vetted plans ready to be implemented, but lack sufficient financial support.

And under Goal 8 rich countries did not just make commitments to increase and improve aid; they also promised to open up our rich consumer markets for poor countries’ products and to eliminate trade distorting agricultural subsidies. This would be particularly relevant for women.

Two thirds of the world’s poor live in rural areas and depend on agriculture. They will not be able to lift themselves out of poverty as long as we – rich countries, and particularly we Europeans, continue with distorting trade in agriculture with our lavish agriculture subsidies. And not only are the majority of the world’s poor women, small farmers and unskilled rural workers dominantly are female: they grow the tomatoes, pick the cotton and tend to the cows.

Also more market access for products from developing countries in general helps women: from Bangladesh to Madagascar, from South Africa to Vietnam, women have been benefiting from employment in their export sectors. Even if labor circumstances and wages need improvement, for these women, trade offers opportunities which are far better than the alternatives they have as unpaid laborers in the rural sector or working in the urban informal sector, including as sex workers, and these opportunities help to lift them out of poverty through economic empowerment.
The world was on track to achieve at least the first Millennium Goal of halving the number of extreme poor, and the proportion of people, who suffer from chronic hunger and we were close in several other goals. Tremendous progress has been made in education: more kids go to school than ever in human history. And deaths of children, although still very high, have declined. This has happened in some of the poorest countries, demonstrating that the MDGs are indeed achievable with the right policies, adequate levels of investment, and international support.

I am personally very optimistic regarding the progress we made on gender issues. I remember in Mexico, during the first UN conference on women in the 1970s. African governments were making statements that they did not accept Western feminism to export alien values to their countries. But now you can not go to a conference without hearing African presidents recognize the role of women in their countries, even if it is only lip service from some of them. For something that is so deeply imbedded in our DNA and in our cultures, I think the gender issue has been quite a success story, within just one generation.

Alas, the present economic crisis is wiping out some of that hard fought progress. While some big economies like China and India are recovering fast, most developing countries, which are least responsible for the crisis, are still paying for its impact: there is more hunger as people can afford less food and less nutritious food; more disease as people cannot afford to visit the clinic; less school enrolment and more child labor as people take their children out of school to work; and girls go first; and governments are forced to slash budgets, including for health.

Women always benefit last when things improve – but they certainly are the first to bear the brunt, when the economic situation deteriorates.

But the main reason for the shortfalls in progress towards the MDGs is not because they are unreachable or because the time was too short, but rather because of unmet commitments, including inadequate resources.

The real problem is the habit of governments to send their leaders to international conferences, make moving speeches, sign beautiful pledges and declarations, and return home to “business-as-usual”. They can get away with that without being held to account, as no international organization, definitely not the U.N., has any means to enforce such agreements.

We live in a world of sovereign nation states in which only national citizens can hold their politicians to account. And in many rich countries – while opinion polls show large majorities care about world poverty – the vocal and educated constituencies on these issues are weak. Their strengthening could provide the essential ingredient for achieving the Millennium Goals: political will.

Here again, it is women making a difference. Across the U.S. and Europe it is often women who founded development ngo’s decades ago, and women still are the volunteers in their Church or Oxfam shop. I count on them raising their voice now, as the UN Secretary General called for Summit in September this year to discuss progress on the Millennium Goals and agree to an Action Plan to get back on track.

Let me end with a quote that I was reminded of instantly when I read the theme of this meeting: “today for tomorrow and beyond”.
In fact it is a quote of an 8 year old Dutch girl at the time I was in a classroom as a Minister launching the campaign for “Education for all by 2015’. Her question after my speech was: “Madame Minister: why wait until 2015, why not NOW???”
By now, indeed, the 100 million kids that did not go to school that year are today’s illiterate adults…

Indeed: Why not now?

The one and only question in my career I did not have a ready answer for.

And still wouldn’t know how to answer when my granddaughter would ask me in a few years…

WHAT is the relationship between the eight MDGs and the ‘coming of age’ of soccer on the African continent?

Sebastian Majewski — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:40:16 -0500

For when the sounds of the ‘vuvuzela’ start blurring across four South African cities, MDG campaigners will also stand up to make a point in order to be heard.

A few days ago, the clock chimed a 100 days left before the global curtain is raised on the first-ever World Cup on African soil and for a continent where the poverty situation has almost adorned a lifestyle status, the soccer balls that will be kicked around in Johannesburg’s Soccer City and other stadiums during the World Cup in South Africa will not be far-off from this sad reality.

The host nation itself, is grappling with glaring poverty coming on the backdrop of the generations long apartheid system in that country.

But that notwithstanding, for the nations surrounding South Africa and those beyond, this country is an economic colossus and is a beacon of hope for many and it is therefore clear that the FIFA 2010 World Cup cannot be isolated from the issues that MDGs activists seek to entrench and achieve towards the attainment of the goals by 2015.

Last week, the Civil Society MDG- Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) Zambia in collaboration with the United Nations Millennium Campaign (UNMC) launched a ‘Kick Out Poverty’ Campaign towards the 2010 World Cup to be held in South Africa in June.
“The Civil Society MDG campaign has identified the FIFA 2010 world football cup to be hosted in South Africa as a major opportunity for leveraging and raising the profile of its activities targeted at supporting citizens’ efforts to hold their governments to account for the accelerated achievement of MDGs in Zambia,” GCAP Zambia national director Dennis Nyati explained. “The World Cup will be used as a platform to organise many memorable public mobilisation actions and re-position the MDG campaign strategically both within Zambia and globally.”

Nyati said proposed activities in the campaign would be useful in publicising and deepening policy tasks with the aim of strategically influencing the reports that would be prepared and presented to Zambian governments during the 2010 reviews leading to the high level summit in New York.

The implementation of the ‘Kick out Poverty’ comes on the basis that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Millennium Declaration and the beginning of the last lap to 2015 when the MDGs are expected to be achieved.

“2010 for Zambia means the year for political parties to prepare manifestos that mainstream MDGs in their political pronouncements and aspirations. This event will also give political momentum to civic activism and people’s rights to participate in decisions and actions that affect them and consequently offer an additional opportunity to put basic rights at the centre of citizen participation at the centre,” Nyati says.

Nyati further observes that ‘Kick Out Poverty Campaign’ therefore provides space for alternative policies including a more developmental role for the state.

“This marks a continuation of the climate change negotiations, the outcomes of which are crucial to prospects of achieving the MDGs. 2010 is also a special year in Zambia because the country will be among other African countries that will be hosting soccer fans and teams participating to this year’s World Cup,” Nyati points out. “2010 marks the 50th anniversary of the hard-fought independence of several African countries. It marks the 20th anniversary of the launching of the Human Development Report and Human Development indices. It also marks the 50th anniversary of the landmark speech by British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in Accra and later in Johannesburg when he declared that the wind of change blowing through Africa was irreversible, a speech which recognised the irreversibility of the tide of political independence as well as the anti-apartheid struggle in Southern Africa.”

Nyati adds further, “2010 is also the year when the World Cup comes to a football-crazy Africa for the first time. These landmark occasions represent a challenge, a sense of urgency and an inspiration.”

It has been said that the rules of soccer are very simple, basically it is this: if it moves kick it. If it doesn’t move, kick it until it does, which sums up the game and really goes to the heart of the Millennium Campaign’s thematic thinking for the 2010 World Cup – ‘Kick out Poverty’.

To sum it all, the story of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, is one that culminates into an African contemporary folklore, with chapters on African poverty, sports revolution, political discourse and a time to make a ‘Piga Debe’ or in other words a big noise on the MDGs.

North American Coordinator, Anita Sharma, speaks at “A Year of Crisis: Opportunities for Change” conference in New York

Sebastian Majewski — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:36:29 -0500

A group of experts discussed three major crises facing the world over the past year: Afghanistan, the Global Economy, and Nuclear Weapons at the United Nations Association Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference and 2010 Members’ Day.

With over 500 participants Sharma participated on a panel entitled “Hitting the Reset Button on the Global Economy”. The discussion centered on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), foreign assistance, and globalization. The panelists suggested that a Tobin tax on international financial transactions would contribute to financial stability and to meeting the MDGs, with much of the discussion focusing on the unregulated and ad hoc international system for dealing with trade and financial flows. The panel was moderated by Jeffrey Laurenti and included, in addition to Sharma, Jomo Kwame Sundaram, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development and Werner Puschra, UN Office Director of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung.

A Year of Crises: Opportunities for Change_Hitting the Reset Button on the Global Economy from Century Foundation on Vimeo.

International Women's Day: Sharma speaks to BBC about the female face of poverty

Sebastian Majewski — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:17:00 -0500

In honor of International Women’s Day, Anita Sharma, North American Coordinator for the UN Millennium Campaign, spoke during the BBC program World News Today. Sharma indicated that achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for women (including, but not limited to, Goal 3: Gender Equality and Goal 5: Maternal Health) are the linchpin to achieving all of the MDGs. Although progress has been made, poverty still has a female face with women and children making up 70% of the world's poor.

Our progress impresses UN

Sebastian Majewski — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:37:56 -0500

Our traditions and social protection networks have cushioned Samoa from the impact of poverty, a senior United Nations (UN) official said. Minar Pimple, Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific on the UN Millennium Campaign, said while poverty affects all countries, it’s not that bad in Samoa. “I don’t see malnutrition in Samoa,” he said.

Samoa is among the least developed countries doing extremely well, he said. Mr Pimple said it is because Samoa has strong community and support systems in place. “So what we are looking at now is the gains Samoa already has and how we can improve it further,” he said. Mr Pimple arrived on Thursday. He was here for an exploratory meeting with the UNDP Samoa Resident Coordinator’s office on the work of the campaign and MDGs here.

Minar Pimple, Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, is impressed with Samoa’s progress. Mr. Minar Pimple told the Weekend Observer “Samoa is not suffering from (food) poverty and is doing very well compared to other countries. “We, Pacific countries, have a completely different way of looking at poverty, a very different perspective. ”Poverty can take on many forms, he said.

“It’s not (always about) hunger, it’s different in all countries,” he said. “You can’t take one sort of poverty and think it will fit for all countries. Just like our (MDG) goals, we have eight because it’s different all over the world. ”Mr Pimple said poverty is one of the challenges many countries grapple with.

This is why the United Nations came up with Millennium Development Goals and initiated a campaign called ‘End Poverty 2015. ’The campaign started in 2000. Since then, 189 world leaders have signed the declaration to end poverty by 2015.“All men, women and children should live a life of dignity and peace,” he said. There are eight goals under the MDGs.

“These were the most concrete eight goals that came up in the declaration. They were chosen because they were the most monitorable. ”

The goals are:
1. End Hunger – Reduce the hunger and poverty by half.
2. Universal Education – Ensure that all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling.
3. Gender Equality – Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education.
4. Child Health – Reduce by two thirds the mortality rate of children under five.
5. Maternal Health – Reduce by three quarters the maternal mortality ratio.
6. Combat HIV/AIDS – Halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS and other diseases.
7. Environment Sustainability – Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs.
8. Global Partnership – Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs

“These are all outcome driven,” said Mr Pimple. “Not some wishful thinking.”

MDGs Featured at Barcelona Marathon

Sebastian Majewski — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:02:49 -0500

Barcelona, March 8, 2010- 2010 is a key year in the fight against poverty. As one of the four European Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Committed Cities, Barcelona has redoubled its efforts to raise awareness among its citizens of the importance of the MDGs and the need for both rich and poor countries to achieve them.

In collaboration with the Spanish Millennium Campaign, the Municipality of Barcelona has decided to promote the MDGs at eight different athletic races that take place in Barcelona in 2010. In each of these races, the MDGs and the UN Millennium Campaign will feature prominently and be promoted before and during the actual competitions.

On Sunday March 7, the 32nd edition of the Barcelona Marathon, which has over 12,000 participants and 100,000 spectators, included an inflatable arch featuring the 8 MDGs, produced by the Municipality of Barcelona in collaboration with the Spanish Millennium Campaign. The “Expo Marathon” – a space that featured entertainment activities – featured a Voices Against Poverty box, where citizens recorded messages in support of the MDGs.

In addition to the “8 races” initiative, the UN Millennium Campaign and the Municipality of Barcelona will also join forces for the “Barcelona Mercè Festival”. This festival, including more than 500 cultural, sports and media events, will take place on September 22-25, right after the MDG Review Summit that heads of state will attend at the United Nations in New York. This year, the MDGs will be the main theme of the Festival and will be featured in numerous spaces across the city.

Barcelona was recognized last October as one of the four European Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Committed Cities, along with Paris, Munich and Milan. As part of this recognition, the City Council agreed to actively promote the MDGs throughout 2010.

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Online Global Conversations to Connect Gender Activists with African Citizens Live from the United Nations

Sebastian Majewski — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:58:31 -0500

The United Nations Millennium Campaign, FEMNET and OXFAM GB present a series of global conversations broadcast live on Facebook at 8:00 am on March 3, March 4 and March 5, to discuss the status of the promises world leaders have made to women in the Millennium Development Goals. Gender activists will connect over Skype with African citizens in real time to discuss gender empowerment, decent work and maternal health from the sidelines of the Commission on the Status of Women being held at the United Nations in New York this week. The conversations can be viewed on www.facebook.com/mcampaign through technology provided by Ustream.

On March 3, at 8:00 am New York time, Honorable Ambassador Dr. Getrude Mwongela, former President of the Pan-African Parliament, will speak with Monica Amollo and Pauline Awoko, gender activists in Kenya, about women’s empowerment.

On March 4 at 8:00 am New York time, gender activists will participate in a global conversation focused on decent work.

On March 5 at 8:00 am New York time, Olufunmilayo Balogun-Alexander, Technical Advisor at the International Planned Parenthood Federation, will speak about maternal health with Alice Dora Amoyaw, Midwife in-charge and Administrator of the Alidor Maternity Home in Ghana, and Cecilia Senoo-Ledonou, a nurse and midwife in Ghana.

Live TV : Ustream

Over the past ten years, governments have made the least progress on the Millennium Development Goals related to women. The global conversations aim to build support and momentum for world leaders’ promises to women ahead of International Women’s Day (March 8) and the High Level Review of the Millennium Development Goals to be held in New York in September. The goal of the unscripted conversations is to foster dialogue across borders about these issues, the progress that has been made, the challenges that remain and the roles that governments and citizens in both rich and poor countries have to play in solving these problems. Viewers across the globe will be encouraged to start their own conversations about these issues on www.facebook.com/mcampaign.

Women’s empowerment and international development

Sebastian Majewski — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:52:26 -0500

In an address at the 54th session of the Commission on the Status of Women on March 3, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, Melanne Verveer, spoke on the progress made and obstacles that remain in the effort to realize UN Millennium Development Goals related to women’s empowerment and international development. Verveer emphasized the value that safeguarding women’s rights, improving maternal health, and supporting women’s economic advancement can have on whole communities.

“Millennium Development Goal 3, on gender equality, is the linchpin—the means to the achievement of all other MDGs.”

http://vitalvoicesonline.org/blog/2010/03/03/ambassador-verveer-at-the-5...
and

http://usun.state.gov/briefing/statements/2010/137772.htm

Online Global Conversations to Connect Gender Activists with African Citizens Live from the United Nations Starting Tomorrow

Sebastian Majewski — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:34:28 -0500

The United Nations Millennium Campaign, FEMNET and OXFAM GB will present a series of global conversations broadcast live on Facebook at 8:00 am on March 3, March 4 and March 5, to discuss the status of the promises world leaders have made to women in the Millennium Development Goals. Gender activists will connect over Skype with African citizens in real time to discuss gender empowerment, decent work and maternal health from the sidelines of the Commission on the Status of Women being held at the United Nations in New York this week. The conversations can be viewed on www.facebook.com/mcampaign through technology provided by Ustream.

Tomorrow, March 3, at 8:00 am New York time, Honorable Ambassador Dr. Getrude Mwongela, former President of the Pan-African Parliament, will speak with Monica Amollo and Pauline Awoko, gender activists in Kenya, about women’s empowerment.

On March 4 at 8:00 am New York time, gender activists will participate in a global conversation focused on decent work.

Click here to watch the videos.

Millennium Campaign Addresses Parliamentarians from Africa, Latin America and Europe

Sebastian Majewski — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:56:57 -0500

Madrid, February 25, 2010 – Marina Ponti, UN Millennium Campaign Deputy Director for Europe, and Falu Njie, the Campaign’s Deputy Director for Policy, participated this Thursday and Friday in the seminar “Parliament and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the Context of the Changing Aid Architecture: Prioritizing South-South Cooperation,” organized by the Association of European Parliamentarians for Africa (AWEPA) and the Spanish Senate in Madrid, as part of the Spanish European Union Presidency.

More than 80 African, Latin American and European parliamentarians are attending this event to discuss the role of legislative chambers in the implementation of the MDGs and the various ways in which parliaments can contribute to improve aid effectiveness and reinforce South- South cooperation.

During the opening session of the seminar, Ponti called on developed countries to meet their commitments on aid, trade and debt relief, and encouraged European parliamentarians to urge their governments to bring an ambitious plan to reactivate the fight against poverty to the UN Summit on the MDGs, to be held in New York on September 20-22. The Vice President of the Spanish Senate, Isidre Molas, and Chairman of AWEPA, Miet Smet, also stressed the increasing importance of South – South cooperation in the opening session.

Njie participated in the second session of the seminar, speaking on the role of parliaments in making aid more effective for the achievement of the MDGs. He discussed liability, ownership and transparency in aid, which fall under parliamentarian control. At the seminar, Njie also presented the new Millennium Campaign brochure on the role of Parliamentarians in the South.

The seminar also served as a preparatory session for the High-Level Meeting on South-South Cooperation that AWEPA is organizing in March in Bogotá, Colombia, in collaboration with the OECD.

Asia Pacific MDG Progress Report calls for strengthening social protection and re-thinking of the prevailing growth model

Sebastian Majewski — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:13:27 -0500

17, February, Manila – Achieving the Millennium Development Goals in an Era of Global Uncertainty: Asia-Pacific Regional Report 2009/10, estimates that the global economic crisis could trap an additional 21 million people on incomes of less than $1.25 a day.

The report, produced and launched jointly by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), assesses the impact of the recent financial and economic crises on the MDG progress in the region. Prior to the crises, the region had been making steady progress in a number of areas, including halving the proportion of people living below the $1.25-a-day poverty line, reducing gender disparities in education, and arresting the spread of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. However, these impressive gains have been threatened by the recent crises.
Speaking at the launch of the report in Manila, Mr. Minar Pimple, Regional Director, Asia and Pacific, UN Millennium Campaign said, “The economic and financial crisis has veered the MDG progress off track. We must look at this challenge as an opportunity to bring about long lasting policy corrections – social protection being one of them.”

While the crises have exposed the vulnerabilities of the Asia-Pacific region which is connected to the global economy through multiple channels, including trade, tourism, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), Official Development Assistance (ODA) and remittances, they also present an opportunity to address those vulnerabilities and identify a more sustainable growth path conducive to the achievement of the MDGs. Examining the fiscal impact of the crisis, the report also advocates biasing stimulus packages towards the MDGs with a strong component of social expenditures, as this will likely produce a double dividend of not only boosting growth more rapidly but also aiding progress towards the MDGs.

At the same time, in order to be more resilient under the impact of globalization, the countries must strengthen their social protection systems. This would include employment guarantee, old age pension, health insurance, education and health related social assistance, especially for women and children. From the pro-poor perspective, it is a significant step forward that social protection is now finally getting the attention that it deserves and that the critical role it plays in achieving the MDGs is recognized. Asia-Pacific countries already have various forms of social protection, but these usually reach only a small proportion of the workforce. For example, only 20 percent of the unemployed and underemployed across the region have access to labour market programmes such as unemployment benefits, training or public works programmes. Only 30 percent of older people receive pensions. Expenditure on social protection in most Asia-Pacific countries also tends to be small relative to GDP.

The reports also highlights that women are the most adversely affected by the crises, as they compose the majority of the region’s low-skilled, low-salaried, and temporary workforce that can easily be laid off during economic downturns. Moreover, the current global economic crisis has reduced the demand for migrant labour – and women form nearly two-thirds of the total Asian migrant population.

The UN Millennium Campaign echoes the importance of challenging the existing export-led growth model which has excluded many from the fruits of development and thus has contributed to widening disparities in many countries in the region. Although Asia-Pacific has been experiencing a rapid urbanization, it must be noted that more than half of the population still live in the rural areas, many of whom rely on subsistence agriculture.

With less than six years left before the 2015 deadline to achieve the MDGs, the global economic crisis is a wake-up call for all the countries that the existing development model needs to be fundamentally reviewed. Bouncing back strongly from the impact of the crisis and accelerating the speed of poverty reduction and human development can be possible, only by supporting the governments in re-orienting their policy framework and directing their resources as well as political will towards more balanced, sustainable and equitable development. This, in turn, calls for active citizen engagement in monitoring the implementation of such policies and keeping the government accountable for delivering on their commitment.

'Governments Have No Reason To Exist Unless They Are Providing Services'

Sebastian Majewski — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:20:47 -0500

Mr. Charles Abugre is the new Deputy Director of the United Nations (UN) Millennium Campaign in Africa with regional office in Kenya. A Ghanaian, Abugre was in Lagos recently during his on-going tour of Africa and did a survey highlighting his plan for the organization.

IT is someone like Charles Abugre who was born in abject poverty, fought and conquered poverty who is in the best position to ensure that Africa meets the target of 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). And he is set to use his new position as the Deputy Director of the United Nations Millennium Campaign in Africa with regional office in Kenya to ensure that the MDGs are achievable.

But one thing that has remained indelible in his memory is the death of his daughter, Asukiya (meaning it is enough). In 1981, Abugre was married to his Donata. She conceived and delivered in May 1982 their first daughter, Asukiya. “I was working with the Jerry Rawlings government in Ghana on a voluntary basis at that time. There was no salary in it,” he recalled.

Unfortunately, Asukiya took ill and died in 1984. “She died of diarrhea. My first experience of the failure of the state and with poverty was the death of my daughter. I did not have the money to buy the medication to take care of her.”

By the time he found the money to buy the drips that would have saved her daughter at Korlibu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana her veins had already collapsed and her body turned cold. That was his lowest moment.

What happened geared him up to ensure that public service worked in Ghana. He fought tooth and nail for the liberation of the people of NIMA 441 which used to be a slum in Accra. “We created an NGO in Ghana called the Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC). It was set up basically to address the issue of NIMA 441 at the national level. We won the war before I later left for further studies in Holland through the sponsorship of Accra Diocese of the Catholic Church,” he reminisced.

Abugre is from Bongo, a village in the Northern part of Ghana close to the border with Burkina Faso. That was where his father, Azota Abugre came from. His mother, Akibase (meaning everybody is almost dead) hails from Vea also in Northern Ghana. His mother was so named because she was born at a time when the death rate was higher than the birth rate in Ghana.

“The mortality and the morbidity rate was high. Many people named their children according to the circumstances of their birth. My other name is Akelyira. It means you will always be remembered, because three of my siblings died before l was born. l know that I was born in 1959, not because my parents recorded it but because l was born a week after the birth of somebody whose father was a soldier. As a soldier, they were required by army rule to register the birth of their children, therefore my birthday is approximated by the birth of our neighbour’s child. I know for sure which month and which year it was, but l don’t know for sure which day it was,” he said.

He recalled that the people who taught him in school in Northern Ghana did not come from Northern Ghana because the colonial project did not create education in Northern Ghana. “I am talking about Gowrie Primary School in the Bongo district. This school started under the trees, we were going there half naked with one teacher. Every year we got one more teacher. I am talking about 1964-65. It was a year or two before former Ghanaian President, Late Kwame Nkrumah was overthrown,” he recalled.

Abugre disclosed that during that period, education was free and compulsory in Ghana. It was enforced by the traditional rulers. They were expected to identify children of five to six-year-old and send them to school.

Read the full article.

President Obama’s FY 2011 International Affairs Budget Request

Sebastian Majewski — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:10:05 -0500

On February 1, President Obama requested $58.5 billion for the foreign affairs account, as part of his $3.8 trillion FY 2011 Budget request submitted to Congress. This is up from $50.9 billion in the final FY 2010 appropriation, an increase of about 9 percent. One of his campaign pledges was to double foreign assistance by 2012, which seems difficult given today’s economic climate.

For analysis see:

The gist from the ONE Campaign: The Administration requested $58.5 billion for the international affairs budget (the 150 account) — an increase of $6.1 billion over FY2010 levels – including key investments in global agriculture and a more comprehensive approach to improving global health, including efforts to fight neglected tropical diseases and improvements to maternal and child health. However, the President’s requests for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria and for PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) are disappointing. The Administration also missed an opportunity to make greater strides against childhood mortality with only a modest increase in spending for immunizations, at a moment when new vaccines are ready to save lives through the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI). http://one.org/c/us/hottopic/3181/

A positive assessment from the Kaiser Family Foundation: http://globalhealth.kff.org/Daily-Reports/2010/February/02/GH-020210-Budget.aspx?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kff%2Fkdghpr+%28Kaiser+Daily+Global+Health+Policy+Report%29

And a thumb’s up from InterAction http://www.interaction.org/article/interaction-gives-%E2%80%9Cthumbs-up%E2%80%9D-president-obama%E2%80%99s-2011-international-affairs-budget

And a not so rosy outlook from the Global Aids alliance: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/presidents-budget-for-global-health-far-short-of-whats-needed—-congress-must-fix-83289512.html

New Millennium Campaign Video

Sebastian Majewski — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 08:59:32 -0500

This September, the United Nations will host the largest gathering of heads of state since the Millennium Summit in the year 2000. At their last Summit, 189 world leaders pledged to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, in order to eradicate extreme poverty and its root causes by the year 2015. The Goals represent a roadmap to finally wipe extreme poverty from the face of the earth once and for all. With just five years left until the deadline, the upcoming summit in September represents the international community’s last chance to develop breakthrough plans to achieve the Goals.

We must tell heads of state in no uncertain terms that we expect them to deliver on their promises. Click here to see a new video from the United Nations Millennium Campaign and United Nations Development Programme on what world leaders have promised. Click here to join the debate on Facebook about what world leaders should do at the summit in September to get on track to achieve the Goals by 2015.

Youth Embark on Global Voyage to End Poverty

Sebastian Majewski — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 08:36:04 -0500

Nairobi, January 11, 2010: Youth from eleven African countries will be joining their colleagues from Japan aboard the 68th Voyage of the Peace Boat scheduled to arrive in Africa on January 19, at the Kenyan harbour of Mombasa.

The Peace Boat, a Japan-based international non-governmental initiative, carries out annual cruises that sail from Yokohama through ports around the world promoting human rights, sustainable development and respect for the environment.

For the second year running, the organization is partnering with the UN Millennium Campaign to keep the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the public domain and in view of decision makers.

During this year’s voyage, youth —who constitute the largest share of many populations but remain voiceless and marginalized — have been given space on the vessel to put their case forward. African youth will participate in an MDG forum aboard the ship from the January 20-28.

The forum, which aims to develop a youth action agenda for achieving the MDGs in Africa, will be conducted under the theme “Working out of Poverty: A Decent Work Approach to Development and MDGs.” The forum will seek to provide a unique space for dialogue on the opportunities and challenges of applying the decent work approach to development and growth in Africa.

The ship will make stops in Mombasa, Kenya and Cape Town, South Africa.

In Kenya, the youth will be part of a press conference that will be held on January 20 at the Mombasa harbour featuring a specially-choreographed MDGs dance, as well as a public forum at Mombasa Polytechnic.

The MDGs Dance Project will be performed at various ports throughout the global voyage. The group will also collect signatures on a large banner calling for the achievement of the MDGs.

In South Africa, the youth will form a football team to play against players from the Homeless World Cup in Skaapkraal, Cape Town.

The recommendations, messages and petitions collected during the voyage in Africa will be delivered to the governments of the participating youth, the government of Japan and Japanese embassies in the represented African countries.

Visit http://peaceboatmdgs.wordpress.com for daily updates on the discussions onboard.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's speech at the International Conference on Population and Development

Sebastian Majewski — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:09:41 -0500

On Friday, January 8, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s gave a major speech on the 15th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD+15). She said, “ if we believe that human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights, then we cannot accept the ongoing marginalization of half the world’s population. We cannot accept it morally, politically, socially, or economically.” Further she discussed the US’s support to the Millennium Development Goals, in particular its new funding, new programs, and a renewed commitment to achieve Millennium Development Goal Five, a [three-fourths] reduction in global maternal mortality, and universal access to reproductive healthcare. You can watch the speech and read the text at http://www.icpd2015.org/

Her remarks on ICPD+15 followed another major speech on development, given by her at the Center for Global Development. During the same week, Rajiv Shah was sworn in as the new Administrator for the US Agency for International Development, making it quite the week for development issues in Washington, DC.

African Campaigners Vow to Make 2010 A Year of Change

Sebastian Majewski — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:44:39 -0500

The Deputy Director of the UN Millennium Campaign for Africa has urged campaigners attending a retreat in the Malawian city of Lilongwe to make 2010 a major turning point for the continent.

“In the coming year, let us reignite the wind of change that swept across Africa during the 1960s; the change that freed African people from the bondage of colonialism, apartheid and slavery,” Charles Abugre said.

“Our focus next year is to pressure our leaders to spend within country means; every time a four wheel drive is purchased in Africa, an opportunity to construct a classroom … is missed,” he added.

The retreat was attended by representatives of faith-based, civil society and local government organizations from across the 17 countries the campaigns targets.
Speaker after speaker reflected upon the status of the campaigns in their respective countries. Western, Southern and Eastern Africa reported that the launch of the Piga Debe for Women’s Rights campaign had given new thrust to the campaign.

“Piga Debe for Women’s Rights opened doors for gender-based organizations to join our campaign,” said Deo Nyanzi of the NGO Forum, Uganda.

“We would not have managed to mobilize the numbers we did for ‘Stand Up’ [the annual mobilization in support of the Millennium Development Goals held in October] had it not been for the launch of Piga Debe,” said another campaigner from Liberia.
Under guidance from Abugre, campaigners defined their strategic direction for 2010 to 2015, which includes ensuring that government policy and practice are fulfilling the spirit of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), supporting increased monitoring of the MDGs at the grassroots level and building people’s movement for the MDGs.
Campaigners identified the African Union 2010 Summit, the World Cup in South Africa next year and the 50th anniversaries of African independence celebrations which will fall during the next five years as major events for the African campaign.

During her closing remarks, the communications coordinator of the UN Millennium Campaign in Africa, Sylvia Mwichuli, congratulated campaigners and issued certificates for their efforts during “Stand Up,” which set a new world record for the largest mobilization of human beings in history.

Bangladeshis Call for National Sharing Meeting on MDGs

Sebastian Majewski — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:40:24 -0500

In Bangladesh, government officials, professors and anti-poverty campaigners recently demanded a National Sharing Meeting on the progress of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The officials also presented a shadow report on December 9 in an event organized by SUPRO, a national network of grass roots organizations, at the Press Club in Dhaka.

Speakers at the event included M.S. Akbar, MP & Chairman of the Parliamentarian Standing Committee on Government Promises; Abdul Mannan, former State Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation; Mohammad Tarique Ahsan, Assistant Professor of the Institute of Education and Research at Dhaka University; Sanjida Akther Nira, Assistant Professor of Women & Gender Development Studies at Dhaka University; and Monisha Biswas, National MDGs Advocacy and Community Expert at the UN Millennium Campaign.

The roundtable discussion was moderated by SUPRO’s Chair, Abdul Awal, and the discussion paper was jointly presented by Lawrence Besra and Qumrunnessa Nazly, Coordinator of SUPRO.

The speakers demanded that Bangladesh’s MDG workplan be updated to address local problems caused by climate change, unemployment, market liberalization and the commercialization of essential services. Without a sustainable work plan, they said that government activities cannot be successful.

They called for programs to protect poor and marginalized people; updated curriculums and the training and empowerment of teachers in order to deliver quality education; and women-friendly education and working environments. The speakers also called for equitable distribution of land resources and social safety nets for Bangladesh’s vulnerable and marginalized communities.

Finally, they recommended an integrated plan to achieve the MDGs, with an increased budget for essential services; the elimination of corruption and mismanagement; and the strengthening of local government bodies.

UN MILLENNIUM CAMPAIGN NAMES CHARLES ABUGRE AS NEW DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR AFRICA

LucaPadovani — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:21:59 -0500

Nairobi, November 30, 2009: The United Nations Millennium Campaign in Africa is delighted to announce the recent appointment of Charles Abugre as its new Deputy Director for Africa. The The position of Deputy Director for Africa was formerly held by Dr. Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem, who passed away in a road accident in Kenya on May 24.
At an awards ceremony on November 20 in recognition of campaign partners who helped set a new world record of people mobilizing in support of the Millennium Development Goals during “Stand Up and Take Action,” Salil Shetty, Director of the UN Millennium Campaign, introduced Abugre to partners including civil society organizations, media, faith-based organizations and the government.
“On behalf of the UN Millennium Campaign and development partners in Africa, allow me to extend my warm welcome to Charles Abugre, as the new UN Millennium Campaign Deputy Director for Africa,” Shetty said.
“There is no better person to lead our Campaign in Africa at this time of … economic crisis than Charles, a top Africa economist and policy expert with over twenty years of experience in international development,” he added.
A Ghanaian development economist, Abugre comes to the campaign most recently from Christian Aid, where he was Head of the Global Policy and Advocacy Division, based in the UK.

He has also been a lecturer at the University of Wales, Swansea, an NGO activist and a development professional, working in several parts of the world. He is a co-founder of several development organizations around the world, including the Third World Network, ISODEC and the Centre for Public Interest Law in Ghana. He also writes on various aspects of Africa’s political economy.
In his inaugural speech, Abugre said he was glad to be joining a team working for the realization of the Millennium Development Goals.

“I am pleased to be joining the campaign that drums support for a noble cause. Unlike other development interventions before, the MDGs are universal development aspirations. They encompass universally accepted human values and rights,” he said. “Our challenge as campaigners is to exert unrelenting pressure on governments to fulfill their promises.”
Abugre holds a Master’s degree in development economics from the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague, Netherlands; a Bachelor’s degree in economics and geography from the University of Ghana in Accra; and is a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Wales, Swansea, UK.
In his long history of development work, Abugre has been very vocal on the importance of making African states more responsive to the needs of their citizens.

Stevie Wonder Joins UN Efforts to Empower People with Disabilities

LucaPadovani — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:00:30 -0500

As work to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger and achieve other Millennium Development Goals enters its final five years, attention is turning to the one in 10 people around the world with disabilities.

Singer/songwriter legend Stevie Wonder is joining the United Nations as one of its 10 Messengers of Peace to lend his talents to this work. It is the latest move in a long career of writing, producing and performing songs to highlight challenges many children and adults face – from disabilities, to HIV/AIDS, cancer, diabetes, hunger, homelessness and domestic abuse.

“Our newest Messenger of Peace is someone who is admired by millions of people and has given back to millions of people,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said ahead of Mr. Wonder’s official designation at a news conference on Thursday.

Without the broader participation of people with disabilities in development initiatives, prospects are dim for reaching the Millennium Development Goals. If they can overcome the challenges that keep disproportionate numbers of people with disabilities – and their families – in poverty, the odds improve significantly, UN officials say.

“Persons with disabilities encounter many disadvantages,” Secretary-General Ban added in a statement marking International Day of Persons With Disabilities. “They are often among the poorest and most excluded members of society. Yet they routinely show tremendous resilience, and achieve great heights in all spheres of human endeavor.

“Experience shows that when persons with disabilities are empowered to participate and lead the process of development, the entire community opens up,” Secretary-General Ban added. “Their involvement creates opportunities for everyone – with or without a disability.”

An estimated 650 million people have disabilities, or 10 percent of the world’s population. In developing countries, they number 20 percent of people living in poverty.

To help integrate people with disabilities into their communities – and particularly into international development work -143 UN Member States, including the United States, have signed the . For a statement by US Ambassador Susan Rice and White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett at the signing ceremony, please click here.

The Convention aims to ensure that persons with disabilities enjoy human rights on an equal basis with others. It embraces the community-based rehabilitation approach now used in 90 countries to involve all people in development, equalize the opportunities available to people with disabilities, and address poverty at its roots. A UN Expert Group on Mainstreaming Disability issues offers more information about the “development for all” approach, and its importance to achieving the MDGs. Among other UN initiatives:

UN Enable, the main portal for information about issues that affect people with disabilities, offers one-stop information about all UN agencies’ related work.

A Special Rapporteur on Disability works to ensure the high-level focus that surrounded negotiations of the Convention, which culminated in May 2008, continues. Shuaib Chalklen, of South Africa, will work to advance the status of persons with disabilities and monitor the implementation of the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, adopted by the General Assembly in 1993.

The World Program of Action concerning Disabled Persons, adopted by the General Assembly in 1982, emphasizes a human-rights approach and sets forth a global strategy to enhance disability prevention, rehabilitation and the equalization of opportunities to fully participate in social life and national development.

The UN Voluntary Fund on Disability helps fund capacity-building initiatives for non-governmental organizations working to implement the Convention.

For links and more information, visit www.unicwash.org.