By WBRi IBNS Newswire on 05 November 2010
New York, Nov 5 (IBNS): The majority of developing countries have made dramatic but underestimated gains in health and education in recent decades, although severe inequalities within and between countries remain, according to the United Nations flagship report on comprehensive human development, which was released on Thursday.
The Human Development Report, issued annually by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), assesses the state of human development on the basis of health, education and income indicators, as an alternative to purely macroeconomic assessments of national progress.
In this 20th edition, the report reviews trends over the past four decades and concludes that people on Thursday are generally healthier, wealthier and better educated than they were in 1970.
These advances are not directly linked with national economic growth, showing that impressive long-term gains can and have been made even without consistent economic performance, according to the report.
“Our results confirm… two central contentions of the Human Development Report from the outset,” said the report’s lead author, Jeni Klugman. “Human development is different from economic growth, and substantial achievements are possible even without fast growth.”
Globally, life expectancy has risen from 59 years in 1970 to 70 in 2010, the report states.
Primary and secondary school enrollment has risen from 55 per cent to 70 per cent in the same period. While all regions shared in this progress, there were wide variations in scope; for example, life expectancy rose by 18 years in the Arab world but 8 years in sub-Saharan Africa.
Among the top ten countries showing marked improvement are Oman, Nepal and Laos, while Ethiopia, Cambodia and Benin are in the top 20 – countries which the report notes are “not typically described as success stories.”
However, the report also highlights serious inequalities, both within and between countries. Over the past 40 years, countries at the lower end of the Human Development Index experienced an improvement of less than 20 per cent, compared to the top-performing group, which averaged gains of 54 per cent.
“We see great advances, but changes over the past few decades have by no means been wholly positive,” the authors stressed. “Some countries have suffered serious setbacks, particularly in health, sometimes erasing in a few years the gains accumulated over several decades.”
“The gaps in human development across the world, while narrowing, remain huge.”
Launching the report, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the HDR had radically changed conventional thinking on development. “We have learned that while economic growth is very important, what ultimately matters is using national income to give all people a chance at a longer, healthier and more productive life,” he said.
Ban added that there was a “straight line from the Human Development Report to the Millennium Development Goals.”
“The HDR was designed to measure results. The MDGs set specific targets for a better world,” he said. “Putting people first means tackling poverty, hunger and disease. That approach is embodied in the MDGs.”
07 November, 2010
06 November, 2010
China gives hope for MDGs -- WFP official
Source: Xinhua, 28 October 2010
by Eric J. Lyman and Wang Xingqiao
ROME, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Josette Sheeran, executive director of the Rome-based World Food Program (WFP), said on the eve of her visit to China that China's success in beating hunger gives hope for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Sheeran will leave for China on Thursday as part of an Asian trip scheduled to include stops in Japan, South Korea, and the DPRK.
She said she is eager to witness the dramatic growth in China that helped transform the world's most populous country from a recipient of food aid to a key ally in the worldwide battle against hunger.
To achieve the MDGs, which include halving the number of hungry people worldwide by 2015, the world's remaining poor countries could learn from success stories like China's, Sheeran believed.
The MDGs, set in 2000, have been agreed upon by all 192 United Nations member states and some 23 international organizations, including the WFP.
"We know that China, for example, used to be one of the WFP's biggest programs, and today it actually helps support us to fight against hunger in other countries," Sheeran said in a joint interview with Chinese media.
"We think this kind of transformation shows essential progress, even though the number of hungry in the world is very dramatic and needs urgent attention," said Sheeran, a former U.S. under-secretary of state for economic, business, and agricultural affairs.
Sheeran and the WFP have increased their profile in recent weeks, as the organization seeks to call attention to the plight of the world's estimated 925 million hungry people.
In a statement from earlier in October, Sheeran outlined 10 key ingredients needed to combat world hunger, namely the use of humanitarian aid, providing food through schools, focusing on nutrition for the youngest children, developing food safety nets in poor countries, helping poor farmers get their products to markets, empowering women on a local level, relying more on technology, making communities more resilient, building partnerships, and increasing political will.
"It's all part of a multi-faceted approach that is essential to confronting the problem," she said. "The WFP can play a central role, but without help from other parts the battle will clearly be lost."
Sheeran said she believes China's current role as a key partner in the fight -- which is already large -- will grow greater with time.
"China contributed to disaster relief in Haiti, and China has made a huge contribution in Pakistan, to the people who are the victims of the floods there," Sheeran said. "This kind of solidarity is important, and I am sure it will grow over time."
Sheeran, 56, said she is eager to compare this visit with her previous visits to China, as a way to better understand firsthand the kind of inspiring transformation the country has undergone.
"During my first visit in the early 1980s, I saw maybe five cars in Beijing -- almost everyone moved around the city on bicycles," she said.
"But since then, China has made the most progress in the battle against hunger of any nation. China can now enter emergency actions, it has new capabilities, and its understanding of importance of battling hunger make the country a powerful ally."
by Eric J. Lyman and Wang Xingqiao
ROME, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Josette Sheeran, executive director of the Rome-based World Food Program (WFP), said on the eve of her visit to China that China's success in beating hunger gives hope for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Sheeran will leave for China on Thursday as part of an Asian trip scheduled to include stops in Japan, South Korea, and the DPRK.
She said she is eager to witness the dramatic growth in China that helped transform the world's most populous country from a recipient of food aid to a key ally in the worldwide battle against hunger.
To achieve the MDGs, which include halving the number of hungry people worldwide by 2015, the world's remaining poor countries could learn from success stories like China's, Sheeran believed.
The MDGs, set in 2000, have been agreed upon by all 192 United Nations member states and some 23 international organizations, including the WFP.
"We know that China, for example, used to be one of the WFP's biggest programs, and today it actually helps support us to fight against hunger in other countries," Sheeran said in a joint interview with Chinese media.
"We think this kind of transformation shows essential progress, even though the number of hungry in the world is very dramatic and needs urgent attention," said Sheeran, a former U.S. under-secretary of state for economic, business, and agricultural affairs.
Sheeran and the WFP have increased their profile in recent weeks, as the organization seeks to call attention to the plight of the world's estimated 925 million hungry people.
In a statement from earlier in October, Sheeran outlined 10 key ingredients needed to combat world hunger, namely the use of humanitarian aid, providing food through schools, focusing on nutrition for the youngest children, developing food safety nets in poor countries, helping poor farmers get their products to markets, empowering women on a local level, relying more on technology, making communities more resilient, building partnerships, and increasing political will.
"It's all part of a multi-faceted approach that is essential to confronting the problem," she said. "The WFP can play a central role, but without help from other parts the battle will clearly be lost."
Sheeran said she believes China's current role as a key partner in the fight -- which is already large -- will grow greater with time.
"China contributed to disaster relief in Haiti, and China has made a huge contribution in Pakistan, to the people who are the victims of the floods there," Sheeran said. "This kind of solidarity is important, and I am sure it will grow over time."
Sheeran, 56, said she is eager to compare this visit with her previous visits to China, as a way to better understand firsthand the kind of inspiring transformation the country has undergone.
"During my first visit in the early 1980s, I saw maybe five cars in Beijing -- almost everyone moved around the city on bicycles," she said.
"But since then, China has made the most progress in the battle against hunger of any nation. China can now enter emergency actions, it has new capabilities, and its understanding of importance of battling hunger make the country a powerful ally."
03 November, 2010
After 2015, we need a new set of millennium development goals that apply to all countries
This new set of universal goals should address the issues of inequality and the world's present rate of consumption of limited commodities
Jonathan Glennie Wednesday 3 November 2010
One problem with the present set of MDGs is the impression given that it is only the developed countries that are helping poor countries. Read MDG8, which calls for a "global partnership for development", and you would be forgiven for believing that only the world's richest countries act in solidarity with the poorest.
In reality, even before the financial crisis hit, and more so in its aftermath, middle-income countries have been vital co-operators in trade and aid to the world's poorest countries. This is not only true of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries, whose contribution is well-known, but smaller countries also play a part; such as Cuba, which has been exporting highly qualified doctors to help in poor communities abroad for many years. It is not a question of the rich helping the poor, but everyone helping each other.
The greater problem, however, is that the MDGs development targets (MDGs 1-7) apply only to "developing countries", leaving the entirely false implication that "developed countries" no longer have anything to improve on. Next time we draw up some global targets, all countries should be treated the same, all with targets to meet at home, and all with a responsibility to offer help and solidarity abroad.
What should the world's post-2015 goals relate to? First, inequality. Most of the feedback so far on the MDGs has expressed concern that while progress is being made to meet poverty targets, this is often coming at the expense of rising inequality – it is easier to bring the not-so-poor just above the poverty line, than to reach the very poorest. There are no incentives to reduce inequality, although almost everyone recognises it as a fundamental factor behind poverty and conflict in and across societies.
Second, sustainability. Besides focusing on climate change, because the level of carbon emissions in the world is unsustainable and threatens stability and poverty reduction, we should also focus on the world's present rate of consumption of minerals, fish, water and many other limited commodities. Our consumption is unsustainable and will increasingly contribute to tension, conflict and injustice.
Lord Malloch-Brown, head of the UN development programme in 2000 and joint-author of the MDGs, tells a story of how he was going to print the final MDG draft when he met the then head of the UN environment programme on the way to the printer and said something like, "Blast, I've forgotten the environment," and went back and added MDG7. Things have moved on since then, and it is no longer possible to talk about development without integrating environmental sustainability and resource constraints. And yet the countries being held to account for MDG7 are the countries causing the least harm, while the richest countries, which are consuming far more per person have escaped targets. All countries, rich and poor, need to consider sustainability of the world's resources in their growth and development plans. Global targets would help.
There are very great political barriers to agreeing world targets on these issues, not least because there is not yet political consensus on either. Some argue that rising inequality is not a problem, others that man-made climate change is a plot. But the moral and scientific cases are made more clearly each year. We have five years to convince the remaining sceptics. Alongside targets on inequality and sustainability, there should still be targets on absolute poverty, as the job of the first set of MDGs will not yet have been completed.
While goals such as these would signify a global effort to tackle the biggest challenges of our time, they would also signal an important cultural shift. Rather than presenting the world as divided between developed countries and the rest, which are seeking to reach developed status, it presents a world where leadership is not so clear cut. While the rich world will score very well on poverty indicators, and will rightly offer to help other countries to improve, it will score poorly on sustainability, and only averagely on equality. On both, it would be wise to seek advice from other countries that have set out fairer and more environmentally sustainable development plans.
Agreeing the MDGs in 2000 was an historic step forward which we sometimes take for granted. All the countries of the world stated common development aims, as they did for human rights about 50 years beforehand. But a new set of MDGs applying to all countries would signify an even more historic shift and would demonstrate that western countries, dominant for so long, were embracing a more balanced and equal world, where we all have things to learn and in which all countries, crucially, are still developing.
02 November, 2010
CAMBODIA: Union threatens new mass strike
By: Ngo Tuan | 1 November 201
A prominant workers' union in Cambodia has threatened further strikes unless their suspended unionists are reinstated and a current minimum wage dispute is resolved.
The Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Union (CCAWDU), who led mass garment strikes last month, is ready for another nationwide stoppage.
The Cambodian Ministry of Social Affairs has asked the union not to start new strikes and give them more time to resolve the dispute.
Ek Sopheakdey, secretary general of CCAWDU, said further strikes could start by the end of this month though.
“We will do the strikes in front of stores and clothing shops, and we will announce to the world that garment factories in Cambodia abuse workers’ rights,” he said.
Up to now, 94 unionists and 683 workers remain suspended and dismissed because of their participation in last month's strikes. The Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC) says the numbers are smaller though - at 67 unionist and 358 workers.
The GMAC has warned that the new stoppages will threaten the future of the garment industry and that foreign buyers and investors could leave the country.
In the first nine months of 2010, Cambodia's textile and garment exports reached US$2.27bn, representing a year-on year increase of 17%.
“The impacts of the strike will only be seen in the October data or later," Ken Loo, secretary general of the GMAC added.
01 November, 2010
Clinton urges rights progress in Cambodia
The Associated Press
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday urged Cambodia to improve its human rights record and ensure the Khmer Rouge are brought to justice for crimes against humanity in the 1970s.
Clinton toured the infamous S-21 prison where as many as 16,000 people were tortured before being executed. The Khmer Rouge regime is blamed for the deaths of some 1.7 million people from starvation, disease, overwork and execution during its 1975-79 reign.
She did not speak after the tour but left a message in a guest book calling for those responsible for the deaths to be prosecuted.
"In memory of the tragic suffering of the people of Cambodia and in hope that there will be a future of peace, prosperity and greater awareness of all that needs to be done to move the country forward, including trials, accountability and reconciliation," Clinton wrote.
"May God bless all of who lost their lives and their families and all Cambodians who want to make a difference for the next generation."
The Khmer Rouge tribunal closed its first case in July when it convicted the regime's chief jailer and head of S-21, Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch. He was sentenced to 19 years in prison on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. A second trial is expected to start next year for the four top surviving Khmer Rouge leaders.
But Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has said the trials will stop there, despite U.N. wishes to bring lower-ranking officers to justice for murder, torture and other crimes. The U.N. says progress has been blocked by political interference from Cambodian officials who oppose more prosecutions.
Critics accuse the Cambodian leader of trying to limit the tribunal's scope to prevent his political allies from being indicted. Hun Sen once served as a Khmer Rouge officer and many of his main allies are also former members of the group.
In talks with Hun Sen later Monday after a town hall meeting with Cambodian youth, Clinton is expected to say that the U.S. wants to see the next trial proceed quickly and judiciously, according to U.S. officials.
Clinton also plans to tell Hun Sen that his government, which has been harshly criticized for cracking down on opposition groups, must do more to protect human rights. She will meet with opposition leaders before departing for Malaysia on the next leg of a two-week, seven-nation tour of the Asia-Pacific.
Last week, Hun Sen told visiting U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon that he must close down the U.N. human rights office in Cambodia, which he accuses of interfering in the country's internal affairs.
Cambodian officials are expected to keep up their push for forgiveness from the U.S. of about $445 million in Vietnam War-era debt. Washington has balked, arguing the country has the means to repay the low-interest loans.
Hillary Clinton pledges to deepen partnership with Cambodia
 |
| The U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (front R) waves when she arrived at the Phnom Penh International Airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Nov. 1, 2010. Hillary Clinton on Monday morning arrived in Phnom Penh from Cambodia's northen city Siem Reap for her last day visit to Cambodia. (Xinhua/Phearum) |
PHNOM PENH, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- The visiting U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged Monday that her country will broaden and deepen partnership with Cambodia with an aim to help its development.
Speaking to reporters at a joint press conference with Hor Namhong, Cambodia's deputy prime minister and minister of Foreign Affairs, Hillary Clinton said the United States and Cambodia will "broaden and deepen our partnership".
"This is my sixth trip to Asia as secretary of state, but my first trip to Cambodia. It represents the commitment that President Obama and I have made to restoring America to high level of engagement to Asia-Pacific region, and in particular, to work with the government and the people of the country such as Cambodia, " she said.
"We can work even more closely together to help meet the challenges facing Cambodia and all Southeast Asia. Cambodia is doing more than ever before to improving health system, in particular, on HIV/AIDS. We will be helping the people of Cambodia mounts a comprehensive fight against the hunger by raising agricultural productivity and making nutrition foods more widely available," she added.
Speaking at the same press conference, Hor Namhong said the United States has helped Cambodia in many sectors including health, education and demining.
And now, he said, Cambodia is requesting the United States to provide more tax exemptions for Cambodian goods exporting to U.S. market, saying the United States is a huge market for Cambodia with the total trades of nearly 3 billion U.S. dollars.
He said such volumes are helping Cambodia in social and economic development.
Both Hillary Clinton and Hor Namhong have shared some other points during the discussions including the Cambodia's debt to the United States, the Office of the UN Human Rights in Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge trial.
Clinton said a team of experts will come and resume talks with Cambodia on the debt issue.
Cambodia has asked the United States to cancel the debt that it has owed since 1970s which is now amounting to around 445 million U.S. dollars.
Cambodia has blamed the present country's representative of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia as a spokesman of the country's opposition party and wants him to be removed or the office closed, but Clinton is suggesting the office to continue and work with Cambodian government.
Hor Namhong said there are more than 1,000 non-governmental organizations, and more than 100 of which are working on human rights issues in Cambodia.
For Khmer Rouge trial, Clinton said the United States will continue to help it, especially on the shortage of fund to proceed with the case for the trial of four aging leaders.
Clinton is making a two-day visit, the first visit to the country by a U.S. Secretary of State since Colin Powell visited Cambodia to attend the ASEAN Regional Forum in 2003.
Clinton spent the whole day on Sunday in Siem Reap and toured Angkor temples.
During her stay in Phnom Penh, Clinton met with several government leaders including Prime Minister Hun Sen and Hor Namhong as well as having an audience with King Norodom Sihamoni.
Clinton leaves Cambodia late Monday for Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, and Australia.
| Editor: Wang Guanqun |
Secretary Clinton's October 30-November 1 Visit to Cambodia
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
October 30, 2010
Secretary Clinton’s two-day trip to Cambodia October 30-November 1 highlights the United States commitment to enhanced, sustained, and comprehensive engagement in Southeast Asia, as well as our desire to assist the Cambodian people in their efforts to recover fully from decades of conflict, to achieve political and legal reforms, and to strengthen economic development. This trip is the first Secretary of State visit to Cambodia since then-Secretary Powell visited in 2003.
The United States has a strong interest in a Cambodia that contributes to regional stability, upholds democratic values, and integrates fully into the international economy. Our wide-ranging assistance programs touch on all aspects of Cambodian life and affirm these strategic interests. Secretary Clinton will encourage Cambodia to continue its recovery from conflict and its progress on democratic development. She will stress the importance of a credible opposition and respect for human rights in a stable, well-functioning democracy and highlight our interest in seeing Cambodia continue to play a constructive role in regional stability. She will also express appreciation for the country’s rich cultural heritage and underscore the critical role Cambodia’s young citizens play in the country’s future prosperity and development.
Sustained and Deep Engagement with Cambodia: Our engagement with Cambodia achieves a variety of political, security and humanitarian objectives. The United States provided Cambodia more than U.S. $70 million in foreign assistance this year, which goes to addressing issues such as human trafficking, HIV/AIDS, corruption, maternal and child health, and humanitarian mine action. Our maturing security cooperation with Cambodia represents a joint commitment to ensuring international peace and security, and continuing the transformation of the Cambodian Armed Forces into a transparent, accountable, and professional military. The U.S. partnership with the Lower Mekong Initiative is another example of how we are engaging with Cambodia to promote a multilateral response to the transnational challenges we all share, such as climate change and infectious disease.
A Democratic, Secure, and Prosperous Future for Cambodia: Our commitment to a democratic, secure, and prosperous Cambodia is reflected in the nearly $7 million we have contributed to the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (Khmer Rouge Tribunal), which seeks to bring to justice the Khmer Rouge senior leaders and those most responsible for the atrocities of the late 1970s, while also serving as a model for Cambodian rule of law, judicial independence, and national reconciliation. While in Cambodia, Secretary Clinton will visit Tuol Sleng, the former Khmer Rouge torture and interrogation center, will emphasize the need to fight corruption and improve transparency in all parts of the government, and will meet with opposition leaders to highlight the importance of a vibrant political arena where all voices are heard.
The Role of Cambodia’s Youth: The Secretary’s participation in a town hall event will provide an important opportunity to have a free-flowing discussion with Cambodia youth about challenges and opportunities facing the country, and how the United States can help. In turn, her outreach to Cambodia’s youth will promote an even better understanding of the United States and our shared values.
The United States has a strong interest in a Cambodia that contributes to regional stability, upholds democratic values, and integrates fully into the international economy. Our wide-ranging assistance programs touch on all aspects of Cambodian life and affirm these strategic interests. Secretary Clinton will encourage Cambodia to continue its recovery from conflict and its progress on democratic development. She will stress the importance of a credible opposition and respect for human rights in a stable, well-functioning democracy and highlight our interest in seeing Cambodia continue to play a constructive role in regional stability. She will also express appreciation for the country’s rich cultural heritage and underscore the critical role Cambodia’s young citizens play in the country’s future prosperity and development.
Sustained and Deep Engagement with Cambodia: Our engagement with Cambodia achieves a variety of political, security and humanitarian objectives. The United States provided Cambodia more than U.S. $70 million in foreign assistance this year, which goes to addressing issues such as human trafficking, HIV/AIDS, corruption, maternal and child health, and humanitarian mine action. Our maturing security cooperation with Cambodia represents a joint commitment to ensuring international peace and security, and continuing the transformation of the Cambodian Armed Forces into a transparent, accountable, and professional military. The U.S. partnership with the Lower Mekong Initiative is another example of how we are engaging with Cambodia to promote a multilateral response to the transnational challenges we all share, such as climate change and infectious disease.
A Democratic, Secure, and Prosperous Future for Cambodia: Our commitment to a democratic, secure, and prosperous Cambodia is reflected in the nearly $7 million we have contributed to the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (Khmer Rouge Tribunal), which seeks to bring to justice the Khmer Rouge senior leaders and those most responsible for the atrocities of the late 1970s, while also serving as a model for Cambodian rule of law, judicial independence, and national reconciliation. While in Cambodia, Secretary Clinton will visit Tuol Sleng, the former Khmer Rouge torture and interrogation center, will emphasize the need to fight corruption and improve transparency in all parts of the government, and will meet with opposition leaders to highlight the importance of a vibrant political arena where all voices are heard.
The Role of Cambodia’s Youth: The Secretary’s participation in a town hall event will provide an important opportunity to have a free-flowing discussion with Cambodia youth about challenges and opportunities facing the country, and how the United States can help. In turn, her outreach to Cambodia’s youth will promote an even better understanding of the United States and our shared values.
Corruption hampers MDGs: TI
| Written by IRIN |
| Saturday, 30 October 2010 13:22 |
| LONDON - Corruption siphons off 20-30 percent of funding for basic services, estimates non-profit Transparency International (TI), and tackling it should be higher on the international development agenda. "Corruption is a tax, and adds to the overall bill of development efforts - the percentage of resources could be as high as 20 or 30 percent," TI's programmes' director, Christiaan Poortman, told IRIN, following the launch of the 2010 Perceptions of Corruption Index. "It will hamper the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals," he added. Research by TI into corruption in the water sector estimates in some countries that 30 percent of funds are siphoned off. Similar figures are emerging for construction. "Corruption also means quality in these sectors goes down - so in construction, the quality of the buildings will be poorer... They would collapse in the next earthquake. It really can be a matter of life and death," Poortman added. TI advocates stricter implementation of the UN Convention against Corruption, the only global initiative that provides a framework for putting an end to corruption. Under the convention, all signatories are being reviewed for their anti-corruption efforts over the next three years. Leaders must display a commitment to getting rid of corruption, said Poortman, who cited Zambia, Botswana and the USA as setting a good example. "With global financial reform, stamping out corruption is now on the agenda of the G20 (November meeting in Seoul), so it does get more traction than it used to, but whether or not major changes are being made at a governance level, is unclear," said Poortman. Other target areas to diminish corruption include strengthening institutions; strengthening the rule of law; making decision-making transparent; educating youths and setting up better whistle-blower protection schemes. |
U.N. MDGs won't work for Africa
Millenium Development Goals fail to address structural economic challenges.
The Minnesota Daily, 1 November 2010
It’s been 50 years since most African nations gained or began to move toward political independence in the hopes of also attaining economic freedom from their colonial masters.
Despite the continent’s political successes, sub-Saharan Africa still faces severe challenges to development. Only 31 percent of the sub-Saharan African population has access to adequate sanitation, 190,000 women die in pregnancy and childbirth annually and 388 million people live in extreme poverty.
Ten years ago, national leaders convened to combat disease, poverty and hunger in poor countries through the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
However, it is becoming more obvious that the eight MDGs will not be achieved by 2015 as planned. And unfortunately for Africa, the continent’s underdevelopment has much to do with economic dependence.
Slogans like "End Poverty Now" have been the mantra of the initiative and this year’s U.N. summit on the goals’ progress. No doubt some progress has been made.
However, the MDGs are a quick fix to a myriad of complex problems. Underdevelopment is not going away in five years unless there is the political will to address structural economic obstacles to development.
Where the MDGs first fail is their lack of acknowledgement of the inequitable economic system.
Developed countries can afford to sell their goods on the international market cheaply because of government subsidies. But developing countries can’t afford subsidies for their farmers.
This results in distorted African markets and cheap international prices with which domestic farmers can’t compete.
Related to this is the legacy of colonialism and paternalistic policies imposed by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Such policies prevent African countries from diversifying their economies under government regulation.
This is because IMF loans impose crippling Structural Adjustment Programs: the forced deregulation of African markets and privatization of public services under the guise of holding governments accountable. SAPs have actually increased corruption and helped cause underdevelopment.
Speaking of corruption, it’s hypocritical for rich countries to deride Africa of its corrupt behavior when they encourage such corrupt activities in the continent.
A case in point is oil giant Shell, one of several multinational oil companies accused of illegally paying Nigerian officials.
If the United Nations is serious about promoting development, it needs to take into account the institutionalization of global inequality. The goals also need to acknowledge that corruption will exist so long as there are parties on both sides willing to engage in it.
And then there’s the dual problem of foreign aid and debt. Poor countries still face an estimated burden of $500 billion in foreign debt. How are they going to "end poverty now" if they don’t have the financial means to do so?
Even if rich countries cancel debt and increase foreign aid, a growing number of academics argue throwing aid at poverty’s symptoms is not doing the job. Aid has done little or nothing to ease poverty and its symptoms on the aggregate level.
"There is no simple correlation between the volume of aid and its impact," Phil Vernon from International Alert told The Independent, a British paper. "Failing to meet the goals should not be interpreted to mean we should spend more money in the same way. People were told a story in which if they opened their checkbooks they would end poverty. But ending poverty is as much about politics as about getting children into school."
The MDGs are also doomed to fail due to a lack of political will. Even if the effectiveness of aid is an open question, the fact is that rich countries have failed to contribute the amount of aid they promised over the past decade.
In 2000, the G8 pledged to spend 0.7 percent of its GDP on overseas development assistance, but so far, it has spent only 0.34 percent. The latest estimates predict a pledged $21 billion in aid has not been met so far.
The financial crisis is partly to blame, but countries lacked the political will before the recession hit. Particularly because of the crisis, Africa needs development assistance — monetary or not — now more than ever.
So what do we do? Should we throw up our arms in frustration and ignore the fate of the world’s poor in desperation?
Of course not. There is a silver lining. Combating HIV/AIDs in Africa has been increasingly successful, particularly in Ethiopia, Uganda and Rwanda. As for the MDG to improve education, 42 million additional children went to school from 1999 to 2007. In 2007, 71 percent of girls were enrolled in school, an increase from 53 percent in 1999. Africa’s markets have been growing at a rate of over 5 percent annually, and foreign investors are increasingly looking to Africa for business.
Perhaps most encouraging is President Barack Obama’s recent declaration of the new U.S. Global Development Policy, which will "harness all the tools at our disposal — from our diplomacy to our trade policies to our investment policies" to improve societies "over the long term."
There are positives in the U.N. MDGs. But if we are going to lift the bottom billion out of poverty, we need a holistic approach that empowers poor countries to address complex structural impediments and the lack of political will.
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