Save the Children proposes new framework to replace MDGs

End of extreme poverty now in sight, says new report

Save the Children has proposed a new set of targets to replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The organisation’s report ‘Ending Poverty in Our Generation’ outlines an ambitious development framework, which, it says, can help all countries end extreme poverty in the next 20 years.

The report has called upon the high-level United Nations panel, which is scheduled to meet in Monrovia, Liberia, between January 29 and February 1, 2013, to use its influence by adopting a new plan to eradicate extreme poverty by 2030. The panel has been appointed by the UN Secretary General to advise him on development of a post-2015 framework to succeed the MDGs. The panel is co-chaired by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and British Prime Minister David Cameron.

The report believes that the end of extreme poverty is now in sight because of remarkable progress made in improving the lives of millions over the last two decades. For example, the number of under-five deaths worldwide declined from nearly 12 million in 1990 to under 7 million in 2011, and an additional 56 million children enrolled in primary school from 1999 to 2009.

Even though the MDGs have lifted 600 million people out of poverty and have helped 56 million more children to go to school, the report refers to certain gaps in that framework which must be addressed, and calls on the UN panel to commit to the new targets to secure a prosperous and sustainable future for the world’s poorest children.

The MDGs were eight international targets adopted by every UN member state in 2000 with commitments to tackle global ills such as extreme poverty, child deaths, and lack of free education. Progress has been mixed, with some developing countries on track to achieve all targets and others looking unlikely to meet any.

The report warns of three major threats to the process: a) failure to tackle inequality in the framework will mean progress will be too slow and some groups will be left behind; b) a desire to cram too much into the framework leading to a lowest common denominator outcome; and c) a fragmented and already fractious political process at the UN level.

As the panel prepares its agenda for Monrovia, Save the Children has proposed a framework for the achievement of 10 goals by 2030, urging governments to:

* Eradicate extreme poverty and reduce relative poverty through inclusive growth and decent work;

* Eradicate hunger, halve stunting, and ensure universal access to sustainable food, water and sanitation;

* End preventable child and maternal mortality and provide basic healthcare for all

* Ensure children everywhere receive quality education and have good learning outcomes

* Ensure all children live a life free from all forms of violence, are protected in conflict and thrive in a safe family environment

* Ensure that governance will be more open, accountable and inclusive

* Establish effective global partnerships for development

* Build disaster-resilient societies

* Ensure a sustainable, healthy and resilient environment for all

* Deliver sustainable energy to all

The post-2015 framework should build on the strengths of the MDGs, including specific and measurable goals, targets and indicators. The framework should set common global aspirations (recognizing the importance of global cooperation) and allow countries to set national targets to suit their level of development, the report states.

The document also emphasises that goals must achieve a balance of human development, economic development and environmental sustainability to ensure progress in human wellbeing is sustainable for future generations. “We cannot reduce malnutrition without clean water. We cannot end preventable child deaths without cleaner air,” it points out to this effect.

The framework must also address some important gaps in the MDG framework, particularly with reference to inequality and accountability. The report mentions that eradicating poverty and preventable child deaths require a dedication to reaching the hardest to reach. “Income inequality undermines long-term economic growth and inequalities between groups of people pose a barrier to further progress in human well-being,” it says.

The report also points out that the MDGs lacked a robust accountability mechanism. “We propose a global mechanism to ensure global cooperation for global development but ultimately citizens must hold their governments to account, so there must also be national accountability mechanisms in place,” it suggests.

With reference to quality education, the report emphasises that ensuring access should not compromise outcomes. While the current MDGs have rapidly improved school enrolments, in many schools, those students are not learning, it points out.

The framework should promote strong service delivery systems that deliver for those populations that need them most, the report adds. The current MDGs prioritise particular diseases, for example, and have diverted resources away from bigger health problems in some countries.

Posted in: Islamabad