Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - Essay Example

MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS Throughout the world, countries have and continue to face various issues that hamper growth and development. However, this situation differs from one country to another. These issues include poverty, ignorance, inequality between men and women, diseases, and environmental degradation. Governments, with the support of international organizations, have endeavored over decades to eradicate or at least minimize the effects of these issues and their impact to development. It is with the same notion that the Millennium Development Goals, commonly referred to as MDGs, were established. This essay will therefore look at the definition of the MDGs, assess their design and nature, discuss the developmental aspects specified by the MDGs and highlight countries in the world that have been most successful in implementing the MDGs as well as those who have not been very successful. It will also examine the factors that have contributed to the success stories as well as those that have led to poor performance in the achievement of the goals, and finally give a view on whether the goals will be achieved by the set year target of 2015. The Millennium Development Goals refer to a set of eight goals that were established in the Millennium Summit of the year 2000. Member countries, totaling 189 at that time, adopted a declaration called the United Nations Millennium Declaration. International organizations, about 23 in number, were also present in the summit and pledged commitment toward the realization of the goals (Amit, 2007:32). The eight goals, which were established at the summit, are to eradicate extreme cases of poverty and hunger, to achieve universal primary education, to promote gender equality and empower women, to reduce child mortality and to improve maternal health, to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases. Others include to ensure environmental sustainability, and finally to develop a global partnership for development (Keeley, 2012:29). The goals were established to tackle specific areas that were of general concern across member countries. The MDGs were designed in such a way that each goal is inter-dependent of the other. This is to say that the MDGs are linked together in such a way that one influences the progress and achievement of the other. The design of the MDGs is that all eight have a health nature in it, that is, all influence health, and health on the other hand, influences them (Wagstaff, 2004:10). For instance, promoting gender equality is paramount in the realization of better health. Reducing extreme poverty and hunger influences health. Healthy children are able to learn while healthy adults are able to work and earn a better living. The MDGs were also designed in a manner such that each of the eight goals is reinforced by specific targets, and dates for realizing or achieving those targets (Keeley, 2012:39). For example, the first goal of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger has three specific targets and dates for achieving the three. These specific targets are; achieving employment opportunities that are decent for men, women, and the youth, reducing by half the proportion of persons living on less than $1 a day for the period between 1990 and 2015, and reducing by half the number of persons who experience extreme hunger (International Monetary Fund, 2007:37). In designing the MDGs, the G8 countries also pledged adequate funds and resources to three international financial organizations to help fast track progress of the goals. These three are the World Bank, the African Development Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. The poor countries, which were also heavily indebted to these three financial organizations, were also relieved of their debt obligations on condition that they redirect their resources to initiatives that alleviate hunger and provide universal primary education (International Monetary Fund, 2006:29). The core of the MDGs is to foster development. All the MDGs, in one way or another, contribute to the development or well-being of a country. Generally, three aspects of development have been specified by the MDGs. These are infrastructure, human capital, and human rights (Amit, 2007:6). These three areas of emphasis were established for the sole reason of improving the living standards of persons. Human capital is very important to the productivity and consequent development of any country. An effective and efficient worker or laborer is one who has had access to good education and is healthy. The objectives that were thus established under the human capital development aspect are healthcare, education and nutrition. The goals of combating HIV/AIDS and other diseases, reducing child mortality, achieving universal primary education and eradicating hunger stemmed from this development aspect (Wagstaff, 2004:23). The second development issue is infrastructure. The objectives developed here include the access to modern technology and communication, transport, environment, and equitable access to energy and water that is safe to drink. These objectives underscored the need for countries to have infrastructures that will promote goals such as ensuring environmental sustainability and the attainment of a global partnership for development through better communication infrastructures. The last aspect of development is human rights. This aspect was designed to empower individuals in a country, especially women, as well as ensuring that all citizens of a country have equitable access to the services offered by public service offices. The human rights development agenda also serves to eradicate or minimize cases of violence in a nations as well as ensuring that property rights are not violated (Wilkinson, 2012:34). It has been 14 years since the establishment and subsequent adoption of the MDGs. The year 2015 was designated as the year, which the member countries of the United Nations (UN), which adopted the declaration, were to meet the goals. The progress for the attainment of the MDGs has been significant, even substantial, for some goals and in some countries. On the hand, progress has been uneven, and in some cases, insufficient, in some countries. Developed countries have been successful in achieving most of the MDGs, while most developing countries, on the other hand, and have been least successful in the attainment of the same goals. Developed countries such as the United States, Denmark, Australia, France, India, England, and Canada have recorded significant success in the attainment of the MDGs, especially on reducing child mortality, universal primary education, improving maternal health, and gender equality (United Nations, 2007:23). Some developing countries, such as Tanzania, Malawi, Rwanda, have also been successful in the achievement of some goals. Kenya, a sub Saharan country, has made significant strides in the achievement of universal primary education and improving maternal health (Nwonwu, 2008:54). This has been through government initiatives such as the Free Primary Education (FPE) and campaigns targeted at improving maternal health such as the Beyond Zero Campaign. However, most developing countries especially in Asia and Sub Sahara Africa have not recorded significant progress in the achievement of MDGs. These countries include Sierra Leone, Mali, Togo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Afghanistan, and Pakistan (United Nations, 2009:12). The achievement of MDGs in any country is dependent on a number of factors. These factors include political will, partnerships between governments, diplomatic relations between countries, political stability or instability, poverty, natural calamities, and the presence or absence of man-made activities, which are disastrous (Lombardi, 2005:23). Most developed countries across the world have been successful in achieving most of the MDGs simply because there has been political good will. For instance, in India, the MDG of promoting gender equality and empower women has witnessed significant improvement. In Northern India, women in the rural areas can now equitably access work and earn better wages. This is because of the political good will from the government and its partnership with UN Women, a UN agency that advocates for women empowerment. On the other hand, women in Afghanistan are finding it difficult to access work and education as well. This can be attributed to religious and culture prohibitions as well minimal government intervention (Sweetman, 2005). Factors such as poverty and natural calamities such as the recent Ebola outbreak have slowed down the progress of achieving MDGs such as combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases in West Africa (Nwonwu, 2008:34). The year 2015 is the set year for the achievement of MDGs. However, progress has been significant in some countries, and insignificant in other (OECD, 2005:23). As a result, the progress has been uneven. The resultant question has been whether the MDGs will be achieved by the year 2015. Critics have from inception questioned the establishment of the goals. They have cited analysis gaps and difficulties in coming up with mechanisms that correctly measure the progress of the goals. Some MDGs have been achieved by most countries across the globe. One report released in 2012 called the Millennium Development Goals Report stated that the world has already reached or achieved the goal of eradicating poverty. According to the report, the target of poverty reduction was achieved five years ahead of the 2015 set target year. For instance, the proportion of persons surviving on less than $1 a day in developing countries significantly dropped from 47% to 22% (Wilkinson, 2012:24). This was achieved in the period 1990 – 2010. However, most goals are yet to be achieved even though we are already in the target year. For instance, gender equality in employment and women empowerment in developing countries, according to the report, is yet to be achieved (OECD, 2006:56). Most MDGs will not be achieved by 2015. This is because of the variances in political goodwill from the governments of respective member countries, political instabilities, and outbreaks of calamities which tend to reverse gains already made. In conclusion, the MDGs are eight goals that were established in the year 2000 to help tackle global issues that were of common concern. These issues were poverty and hunger, gender inequality, child mortality, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases and environmental degradation. The goals stemmed from three aspects of development namely human rights, infrastructure and human capital. Most developed countries in the world have achieved nearly all the MDGs. However, progress has been uneven and many developing countries are lagging behind because of such factors such as political instabilities and disease outbreaks. We are already in the year 2015 and most MDGs are yet to be achieved. Therefore, this means that the overall MDGs success factor will not be attained. References Amit, R 2007, Globalization and the Millennium Development Goals: Negotiating the Challenge. New York: Berghahn Books International Monetary Fund 2006, Imf in Focus 2005 (Imf Supplement to the Imf Survey). Washington: International Monetary Fund. International Monetary Fund 2007, International Monetary Fund Annual Report 2007: Making the Global Economy Work for All. Washington: International Monetary Fund. Keeley, B 2012, OECD Insights from Aid to Development the Global Fight against Poverty: The Global Fight against Poverty. Paris: OECD Publishing. Lombardi, D 2005, The IMF's Role in Low-Income Countries: Issues and Challenges. Washington: International Monetary Fund. Nwonwu, F 2008, Millennium Development Goals: Achievements and Prospects of Meeting the Targets in Africa. Oxford: African Books Collective OECD 2005, OECD Annual Report 2005. Paris: OECD Publishing. OECD 2011, OECD Studies on Water Meeting the Challenge of Financing Water and Sanitation Tools and Approaches: Tools and Approaches. Paris: OECD Publishing. Sweetman, C 2005, Gender and the Millennium Development Goals. Oxford: Oxfam. United Nations 2009, Millennium Development Goals Report 2009 (Includes the 2009 Progress Chart). New York: United Nations Publications. United Nations Development Group, 2003, Indicators for Monitoring the Millennium Development Goals: Definitions, Rationale, Concepts and Sources. New York: United Nations Publications. United Nations 2007, The Millennium Development Goals Report 2007. New York: United Nations Publications. United Nations Human Settlements Programme 2005, UN-HABITAT's Strategy for the Implementation of the Millennium Development Goal 7: Target 11. New York: UN-HABITAT. Wagstaff, A 2004, The Millennium Development Goals for Health: Rising to the Challenges. New York: World Bank Publications. Wilkinson, R 2012, The Millennium Development Goals and Beyond: Global Development After 2015. New York: Routledge Read More