FROM THE DESK OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

07/07/07: Reflection on the mid-point on the Minimalist/Millennium Development Goals

Release Date: 11 July 2007

By Kumi Naidoo, CIVICUS Secretary-General

Dear e-CIVICUS Subscriber,  

There’s been a real flurry of activity around the Millennium Goals mid point this past week. Some of it has focused on the way we can push governments to meet the goals, some on appraising the governments’ performance, some rallying the public and informing people of the goals, some critically discussing their meaning and focus.

While it seems to be widely agreed by civil society organisations that the MDGs are not the p ana cea to solve the world's problems, there does appear to be a strong body of opinion that they have provided a framework for development and negotiations and monitoring of their governments’ performance against these commitments. Indeed, even if they were met, the Goals would still not avoid an enormous number of deaths as they only look to halve infant mortality for example.  Who decides what half lives? Equally, the aim of putting more Northern donor money into the South will not solve the problems as there needs to be significant work in tackling corruption, strengthening democracies and increasing transparency and accountability of governments to their people, both in the South and the North.

By coming out in such numbers on July 7th (a mid-point of MDG commitments till 2015) – 70 cities hosted events of one kind or another - members of the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) showed there is motivation to push governments to achieve MDG targets. Recognising that some progress has been made in some countries, most people are still sorely disappointed with the poor performance of states that signed the Millennium Declaration and made promises to their citizens. Millions of impoverished people continue to live in socially dismal and sub-human conditions without solution or hope. Most countries in the South lag far behind their targets and Northern countries have largely failed to fulfill their promises with regard to aid, trade and debt cancellations. In Africa, for example, 13 African countries (mostly in North Africa) can achieve or come close to the MDGs by 2015 if they continue at the current pace. The remaining African countries have not made any progress in gender equality and women's empowerment, and tens of millions of citizens around the world are still living in an ocean of poverty.

Let us remember the hard facts. With current trends and pace it is very likely that sub-Saharan Africa will not meet the sanitation goals set out by the UN Millennium Development goals until 2105 and in Zambia until 2130.
$47bn per year is needed to meet Health, Education and Water and Sanitation Millennium Development Goals by 2015. $1 trillion is spent on military expenditure each year and $40bn on pet food each year around the world - the money is available; it is a question of political will and where resources are directed. It would take $4bn per year to meet the goal of halving the number of people who don't have access to drinking water. That is the same as Europe spends on bottled water each month. At current rates, by 2015 over 2 billions people around the world will still lack basic health services and 650 million will not have access to drinking water.


To make sure the reality of this slow progress is not forgotten, GCAP mobilisations this week were varied but of high impact. In India members of the Wada na Todo Abhiyan (WNTA) met Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, and presented the Citizen's Report on Governance & Development 2007. In the half hour meeting, WNTA explained the initiatives being taken to monitor and reinforce the fulfillment of the MDGs across more than 10 states in India.

In Zambia, the national Civil Society MDG Campaign, formed under the slogan "You promised – Act Now" arranged for a special programme entitled Agenda 2015 to air on local Radio Phoenix and a press conference with Bishop Paul Mususu and NGOCC Chairperson Kelly Salati. The national campaign will also convene a Civil Society Roundtable on the "MDGs mid point progress report, a civil society perspective" this week. In Australia we heard of more creative campaigning, when Make Poverty History Australia succeeded in broadcasting images onto the Sydney Opera house for the first time ever. These pictures, amalgamated from portraits of people who have lent their voice to the call to end poverty, were a powerful backdrop seen around the world and aimed at pushing their own government to meet their 0.7% promise on development aid.

July 7th held further significance for the poor this year as it was also a day of world awareness on climate change. Live Earth Concerts (www.liveearth.org)  organised in 9 cities around the world were intended to revive the debate on the environment and push for consumer awareness. In Johannesburg I spoke in between the performances about the link between poverty and climate change.  I talked about how at this point in the fight to eradicate poverty we are facing a new threat, the warming of our planet, and that the fallout of this was already hitting the poorest most directly. I called on people to be aware not only of the impact their own habits have on the climate but to keep pressure on their governments to implement policies that protect our world for future generations.

Though some of these efforts may be small in size and nature, the collective impact of their voices on these issues facing the poor and marginalised are important and should be heard before we cross the point of no return.

What is clear to me increasingly these days is that many of our political leaders have two medical conditions; memory loss and severe hearing problems. The leaders of the rich countries appear unable to hear the appeals of their citizens for more urgent action to end global poverty. The commitment for example, on 0.7% being contributed to international development was a commitment made in 1970. Only five developed countries meet this target. Have they forgotten? Likewise, developing country leaders sign up to nice sounding declarations on democracy, human rights and ending poverty, but they appear to forget these commitments virtually as soon as they make these promises. It appears that citizens have no choice but to increase their mobilisation and pressure on our leaders so that they can improve their memories as well as their listening abilities.

Warmest regards,

Kumi Naidoo

Below you will find all previous columns published. 

• Towards the Legal Empowerment of the Poor

• Continuity and Change: The position of CIVICUS' Secretary General

• Continuity with change: Governance change at CIVICUS

• From a whisper to a whimper: Reflections on the on the G8 Summit

• Will the G8 deliver according to its broken promises?

• CIVICUS World Assembly need you to set the agenda 

• "We' re Living in a World of Global Economic Appartheid" 

• Renewed dedication to the Call for Poverty Eradication and Equality  

• Wolfowitz must resign to regain World Bank's credibility  

• Criminalising Human Rights in Zimbabwe

• Who's accounatability to who and why?

• Civil society and the progress of the feminist movement in transitional democracy

• The role of civil society organisations in promoting corporate citizenship

• Civil society faces increasing challenges in Zimbabwe

• The road to Accra: Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness

• CIVICUS Youth Assembly to urge for ‘Accountability to Future Generations’

• International Women’s Day, 8 March 2007: Men will never be free until women enjoy full gender equality

• The World Economic Forum is too important to be left to economists alone

• From Nairobi to Davos: Reflections on the World Social Forum and World Economic Forum

• The role of civil society organisations in managing for development results

• World Social Forum 2007: Another World is Possible for Africa

• The importance of civil society in the year 2006

• International Advocacy NGO Accountability Charter: Walking the talk

• Human Rights Day: Righting the Wrongs

• Sharing member impressions and why civil society should be part of CIVICUS’ alliance

• 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence

• CIVICUS strategic planning takes centre stage

• Reflections on the CIVICUS Civil Society Index country reports

• Civil society and the challenge of Regional Integration in the Pacific

• Over 20 Million People 'STAND UP AGAINST POVERTY' to Set New Guinness World Record

• People created poverty. Only people can eradicate it." World-wide commemoration of October 17: International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

• Campaigning Works!

• If only civil society was taken seriously: Reflections on the fifth anniversary of the tragedy of 11 September 2001

• Help set a Guinness world record by standing up to poverty

• Civil society takes centre stage at the AIDS Conference

• Can we reform the International Finance Institutions?

• Article on the Doha collapse

• Civil Society and the Middle East Conflict

• Reflections of a Meeting with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin

• You can participate in the CIVICUS World Assembly even if you are not going to be there in person

• Can Civil Society make a difference in Iraq?

• The Ethics of Cherry Picking: The dilemma of where you live, work and play!!!

• Former CIVICUS Board Member passes away

• Reflections on a visit to prison

• The struggle for justice is a marathon not a sprint: A personal reflection

• Can Civil Society make 2006 a year of more and better coherence, coordination and communication?

• What 2005 means for civil society?

• Argentina: Thriving without the IMF

• Can legal frameworks strengthen civil society? Is the time right for a Campaign for Civil Society Rights?

• Why trade justice matters to you

• December 2005: Determined, Dedicated and Diverse Dimensions to Direct Action For Justice, Human Rights and Equality

• Reflections on the United Nations Summit

• Civil society gears up for the UN World Summit

• Reflections on the G8 Summit

• Nelson Mandela: Inspiring civil society efforts to create a just world

• Children, youth and the struggle for a just world

• So we think democracy is growing?: Rethinking social exclusion

• You can make difference on ‘Whiteband Day’ - 1 July 2005

• CSW Monthly Bulletin provides a global forum to protect the rights of civil society

• What does democracy really mean today

• The absence of democracy at the World Bank

• Grassroots activism: ordinary people making an extraordinary difference

• Madrid, Manhattan, Manica and Musina: Civic activism driving the agenda for social and political justice

• On International Women's Day civil society wonders if this is Beijing Plus Ten or Beijing Minus Ten

• Internal governance: Responding to the challenge of civil society legitimacy, accountability and transparency

• Poverty or social exclusion - What unites civil society in the North and South?

• Should civil society engage with governing institutions even when they have deep democratic deficits?

• One month gone, eleven to go: Is 2005 the year civil society focuses on its common shared values and agrees to disagree on strategy and tactics?

• The beginnings of the biggest ever mobilisation against poverty launched at the World Social Forum

• Civil Society gears up for a major global campaign against poverty

• What the Tsunami Tragedy means for Civil Society.

Back to CIVICUS Home page.