Millennium Development Goals
To steal a line from Craig Kielburger:
Talk’s cheap…so do it a lot.
The Millennium Development Goals are about putting money where mouths are, so talk turns to action.
Every member state of the United Nations has signed up to them. And yet…very few of us have even heard of the Goals.
Could this be an inter-governmental conspiracy? A major covert operation… to improve the world? As we speak are UN agents (wearing UN-blue carnations) eyeing each other up in backstreet diners globally? Swapping Poverty Reduction papers stuffed into fortune cookies, surreptitiously? We can’t confirm, nor deny.
Talk being dirt cheap, our money’s on exposing the MDGs. Because they’re on a timer, and if most of us don’t know about them, who’s watching the clock?
If we don’t get the message, will we self-destruct?
In 2000, 189 nations agreed that by 2015 we will meet eight goals for improving standards of living, health, gender equality and access to education while not abusing the environment.
Countries with money to spare are to put it towards those with less, to help make changes where they are needed most. Each Goal supports the others.
Every one counts.
At first glance the Goals might not look achievable. And you might be right, because talk isn’t enough, and in some cases action isn’t happening. Meeting the Goals will be for all our benefits. We’d live (and in some cases die from) the consequences of not meeting them, together. That means sharing the responsibility to get to them on time.
On July 7th 2007 we were half way to the 2015 deadline.
Tick tock.
Goal 1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Goal 2. Achieve universal primary education
Goal 3. Promote gender equality and empower women
Goal 4. Reduce child mortality
Goal 5. Improve maternal health
Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development
Links on the Millennium Development Goals:
http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/
http://www.millenniumcampaign.org
Indicators of how well the Goals are being met, globally:
http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/default.aspx
