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.
19:33
Unknown
