Why Governments Should Support the MDGs

On the onset of the 21st Century, in 2000, at a special UN General Assembly acclaimed as the Millennium Summit. The world leaders met with a key agenda of holding to a global blue print that would set the stage for a transition to a more just dispensation free from the inequalities manifest in relations among and between individuals and nations at the turn of the 20th Century.

In September 2000, a record 189 Heads of States and Leaders of Governments, congregated in New York for a ground breaking UN summit. Central to the concerns of the meeting, was a new agenda for the world at the dawn of a new century. Poverty was the key theme in recognition that it was a global phenomenon and no longer a feature of developing countries.

This realization had been brought to the fore at the UN Social Summit, held in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1995. Resultantly, in New York the resolutions of what was to be subsequently referred to as the Millennium Summit, were a set of tangible goals geared towards a specific agenda of having extreme poverty in the world by 2015. These tangible and time-bound pursuits that range from combating hunger and extreme poverty to enhancing sustainable development through proper management of the environment and redefining global partnership between the rich countries of the North and the less developed nations in the South were referred to as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and represent an unprecedented opportunity to do better than ever in our common fight against global poverty.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) present a concise view of what needs to be achieved in a time-bound and specific manner. Different stake holders ranging from: international organizations, national governments, political parties, donors and civil society organizations not only have the responsibility but are bound to see the achievement of these Goals.

Africa is the only continent in the world that has grown poorer in the last 25 years and indeed, approximately 25 million Africans – the same as half the UK population – were living with HIV/AIDS by the end of last year. Despite the efforts made by countries like Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Namibia, South Africa there are over 40 million children in Africa who do not get the opportunity to go to school and over a third of the entire population of sub- Saharan Africa is under-nourished. Despite the wealth of natural resources in many African countries, the continent’s share of the world trade fell from 6 percent in 1980 to less than 2 percent in 2002.

Taking the above facts into consideration, the Millennium Development Goals offer an opportunity of redefining the ownership of social-economic rights, not only as rights, but as entitlements for every individual. It is on this premise that dignity of life is enhanced combating the inequalities that for so long dispossed and disenfranchised the larger population. It is on this banner that the connection between the Millennium Development Goals and the reality of life as a chain of enjoyment and not as a basis of survival is drawn.

With the development of every civilization, a group of individuals who hold to the realms of power has erupted. This has drawn to the different levels of cracies that highlight the development records and political maturity of different societies falling back from plutocracies, kleptocracies, autocracies to democracies.

The highest level of evolvement of these political entities is the establishment of a democracy that allows for the existence of varied form of ideals and principles. It is on this level that political parties emerge. As such they seek to attain political power within a government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns.

Parties often espouse a certain ideology and vision, but may also represent a coalition among disparate interests, it is on this point that they prepare their electoral manifestos, a public declaration of intent, which sets out both their strategic direction and outlines of prospective legislation should they win sufficient support to serve in government. Legislative proposals which are featured in the manifesto of a party which has won the election are often regarded as having superior legitimacy to other measures which a governing party may introduce for consideration by the legislature.

By the virtue that the Millennium Declaration was signed to by heads of states and leaders of government, it became a political question. In offering an answer to the same a political answer is demanding. The cost benefit analysis on the MDGs place a call that for effective development to take place, closer consideration of fulfilling these goals is of imperative concern.

The developmental nature of the eight goals draw a broader spectrum for consideration as foundation points for the key processes that will enhance growth and development of different nations. In drawing up their manifestos, the political parties should embrace this notion.

Consciously or unconsciously, as they campaign and roll out their development agendas, the key message that they send across is that they want to enhance the people’s lives by making the socio-economic rights entitlements for each individual. The request is simple consolidate the gains and draw clear MDG focused manifestos, that should resound with the legistlature.