"We
Will Spare No Effort" A Civil Society Call to Action for the Five Year
Review of the Millennium Summit and the Millennium Development Goals,
June 2005
I. Freedom from Want
Each year I come here – we
make our proposals and I don’t see anything being solved. There are
women and children dying every day. We don’t have a millennium to solve
these problems.
-- Cathy Thunderbird, Coast Salish Nation, The Flying
Eagle Women’s Fund
|
As
a whole, the civil society organizations that took part in the
consultations
expressed support for the UN Secretary General’s call to eliminate
global
poverty. NGOs often described the
MDGs as a valuable, yet incomplete, vision of development that needed
improvement. The importance of
finance for development was recognized and NGOs rallied for concerted
government focus on debt cancellation, increased development aid and
fair trade. Calling to mind the
Secretary-General’s
pledge on his accession “to perfect the triangle of development,
freedom and
peace,” many NGOs spoke of the strong relationship between development,
peace
and security, human rights and a strengthened United Nations.
The Millennium Development Goals
- “Freedom from want” also means
combating exclusion, and providing a real commitment to qualitative
development, both in developing and developed countries. To this end,
it was mentioned that the participation of marginalized groups,
including the poorest, should be ensured, and their voices listened to
in the overall international and UN development agenda. References to
indigenous peoples, minorities, persons with disabilities, older
persons, and youth are missing from the MDGs and this makes them less
responsive to their needs.
- Some NGOs highlighted the risk that
the focus on aggregate results, rapid development and achieving the
greatest good for the greatest number could mean that the particular
needs of the most excluded groups will be ignored in the interests of
meeting targets on paper. More research and data need to be
collected on these groups to better evaluate and address their
particular requirements.
- Many speakers indicated that new
targets and indicators were needed to increase the Millennium
Development Goals’ effectiveness and measure progress toward
implementation.
- Civil society echoed the concerns of
the Secretary-General in their discussion on the importance of national
priorities and strategies to meet the MDGs. It
was expressed that governments must pay close attention to the unique
needs of their constituencies within their own countries.
§
More
information about
the MDGs should be made available to the public. Governments,
the private sector and civil society should
work more closely with the media to promote the MDGs at the national
level.
NGOs have to be
responsible to talk to national officials and make sure they are
accountable to achieving the MDGs.
-- Bonnie Berry, Women’s World Federation
|
- A common concern raised was that civil
society wants a greater voice and role in promoting and implementing
the Millennium Development Goals. The
planning and evaluation of the progress towards the MDGs are activities
in which the contributions of civil society are vital.
Finance
- NGOs recognize that effective
financing is necessary for the success of the MDGs.
Civil society should have greater input with regards to how
financing is directed. Closer civil
society engagement with government and the private sector is needed to
ensure that financing is equitable and effective.
- The importance of developing country
debt relief to promote development was a
frequent observation.
- Numerous speakers asked governments to
fulfill the commitment of allocating 0.7% of gross national product to
official development assistance within a short timeline.
- Emphasis was placed on the concept of
fair trade. It was noted that the effects
of trade on vulnerable groups should be carefully considered when
government negotiations take place.
Gender
Development cannot be achieved without gender
equality and women's empowerment.
-- Charlotte Bunch, Center for
Women's Global Leadership
|
- A strong recommendation from the
consultations was that a gender perspective be applied comprehensively
to all the Millennium Development Goals. Many
felt that the MDGs inadequately addressed the needs of women, who are
vital towards the achievement of successful development.
- Women demand a greater role in the
planning, implementation and evaluation of the MDGs. Women should be
included in all these processes to ensure that gender concerns are
incorporated in all aspects and at every level of the MDGs. The
question was often raised as to how the MDGs could successfully help
women without their active participation and input.
- Women need more information on how to
engage with the Millennium Development Goals and on how they benefit
them.
- Although it is
acknowledged that women’s participation is key to achieving all the
MDGs, the gender issue is only mentioned in goal three.
Violence against women is
not addressed in the MDGs – this is the crucial issue in the context of
women’s empowerment.
-- Bandara Rana, Sancherika Samuhar
|
- More targets and indicators to measure
the progress of women need to be added. Violence
against women, health, education, political participation and economic
empowerment need to be addressed more closely within the framework of
the MDGs.
- The MDGs should be a vehicle for
strengthening the commitments made by governments to gender equality
and the advancement of women at the Fourth World Conference on Women
and through CEDAW.
Poverty
The first MDG is to
eradicate poverty, but aims to help only 50% of those affected. How do
we explain this to the other 50% that will not be helped?
-- Vicki Soanes, International Movement ATD Fourth
World Movement
|
- Many stressed the urgent need to end
poverty. It was noted that the MDGs must
aim to benefit all the poor and should not leave behind marginalized
and excluded populations. Ambitious
targets to eradicate all poverty
within the near future should be emphasized.
- NGOs pointed out that governments in
developed countries should not forget the needs of the poor in their
own countries.
- Some NGOs advocated the view that
development and livable wages are human rights.
Governments should address
poverty wherever it exists, not only in poor countries but in rich
nations as well.
-- Uta Stitz, German Association for Public and Private
Welfare
|
- The poor must be treated as partners
in development by governments and civil society. The
need to solicit the input of people living in poverty and facilitate
their participation in the implementation of the MDGs was addressed. Consulting with grassroots organizations and
using information technology were provided as examples of ways in which
the poor can be reached more effectively.
Environment
The reality is that
deforestation, pastorialization
and resulting desertification are generating hunger and misery upon
indigenous peoples in Latin America and Africa.
-- Miguel Ibanez, Quechua Nation, Habitat of Peru
|
- NGOs recognize that many environmental
problems exert direct negative consequences on development and the MDGs.
- Environmental problems particularly
affect indigenous peoples. Governments
must be careful not to promote development policies that fail to
consider indigenous peoples.
- Some NGOs emphasized that treaties and
pacts are necessary to help address trans-border environmental
problems, however governments are often slow to implement the existing
environmental treaties that they have signed.
Cross-Cutting
Themes
- It was expressed that many development
efforts and reforms need to be undertaken as a comprehensive package
for lasting effectiveness. Many NGOs spoke
of the strong relationship between development, peace and security,
human rights and a strengthened United Nations.
- Many NGOs felt that partnerships
between governments, the private sector and civil society need to be
carefully evaluated. Both the benefits and
potential pitfalls of partnerships have to be carefully considered to
ensure effectiveness, transparency and
equity.
- NGOs urged governments to provide
transparent and accountable institutions and equitable legal systems
that protect and promote civil society and encourage development.