World falling short on Millennium Development Goals
MISSISSAUGA, ON—They may be uneven, unfinished and even off target, but we have a clear mandate to keep moving forward.
That's the assessment of many faith and development leaders following the recent Review Summit to track the progress of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).
The eight international development goals were set in 1990, with a view to making significant strides in combating extreme poverty by the year 2015. All 192 United Nation member states and two dozen international organizations signed on to the goals.
With only five years left to go, the review conference was held late September at UN headquarters in New York. Goals four and five—which relate to mother and child mortality rates—were high on the Canadian ministerial delegation's agenda, following Canada's recent $1.1 billion pledge to maternal and child health at the G8 this summer.
Dave Toycen, president and CEO of World Vision Canada, attended as an official member of the Canadian delegation. He says the pledges relating to mother and child health were among the most underfunded and underachieved of the goals. Far from having reduced mother and child mortality by the targeted 66 per cent, child mortality is down by 40 per cent, and maternal death only by 11 per cent.
"This is an issue that's very close to our hearts," adds Toycen. "To give dimension to what this means, nearly nine million children under the age of five die every year from things which are easily preventable, like diarrhea and malnutrition. Less than half of the women in the world have a midwife by their side when they give birth. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that for women in developing countries, it is the most dangerous time in their life."
World Vision International committed $1.5 billion in resources to address problems of maternal and child health. World leaders and organizations pledged $40 billion.
"The good news is that commitments have been made," says Toycen. "The bad news is that, if we look to the past, there is really a lack of follow through. We need to pray that everyone who has a heart for this will really do what they say they are going to do."
John McArthur is CEO of Millennium Promise. Based in New York City, the international not-for-profit organization works to support the fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals.
He says there is much to celebrate, including major breakthroughs made by developing countries around the world. However, many of the world's richest countries are far behind in making good on their monetary pledges.
"The G8 is about $20 billion behind on what it promised, this year, in support of poorer questions," McArthur says. "That's a huge gap, which translates into a lot of bed nets, a lot of teachers, a lot of nurses and a lot of medicine that won't be there as a result."
McArthur, who is Canadian born, says Canada has failed significantly to live up to what it has promised.
"One of the ironies in the Canadian context," he says, "is that, paradoxically, Canadians are so committed to many of these issues, but don't realize that Canada is not yet pulling its fair share as far as helping developing countries reach these goals. Canada is not fulfilling its pledges and there is such a great leadership role Canada can play."
Canada's churches and faith communities can do a lot to help Canada step up, he adds.
"We've seen so many community and faith leaders play really pivotal roles on all sorts of levels," he says. "Many faith leaders have had a major hand in things like turning the tide against malaria, the fight against AIDS and keeping political leaders accountable.
"On a far more granular level, faith leaders in the developing world play a key role in pioneering new forms of service delivery and outreach to the poorest and the most marginalized. They form the connective tissue which helps services reach communities."
Robyn Bright, national coordinator of Micah Challenge, says that what makes Christian involvement so vital in the fight against extreme poverty is the strong mandate our faith provides. Micah Challenge has spearheaded several events in support of the Millennium Development Goals, including the Run Out of Poverty in Ottawa, the Global Day of Action in October and a special worship service in New York during the Summit.
"There is such a strong precedence of advocacy on behalf of the poor throughout scripture," she says. "I think the Millennium Development Goals provide a clear consensus, rallying point for the conversation and a real opportunity for us to show leadership.
"But even when poverty is not on the radar, we as Christians should continue to work to usher in the Kingdom of God. Whether it's popular or not, we continue to be faithful."
Millennium Development Goals: how are we stacking up?
1. End Hunger
Goal: Halve the proportion of people living on less than $1 US a day
Progress: The number of hungry people worldwide has actually risen from 842 million to 1.02 billion in the past 20 years. However, while Sub-Saharan Africa and Western Asia have seen an increase in the proportion of hungry people since the Millennium Development Goals were set, developing nations are on track to meet the target.
2. Universal Primary Education
Goal: Ensure that all children, irrespective of gender or economic situation, complete a full course of primary education by 2015.
Progress: Great progress has been made in some parts of Africa and Southern Asia. The elimination of school fees and the provision of free school lunches, have helped increase enrollment in some areas. However, much of the world still does not have the needed investment in teachers or resources and this target is unlikely to be met.
3. Promote Gender Equality
Goal: Eliminate gender disparity in all levels of education
Progress: Gaps between the percentage of males and females enrolled in education have narrowed in some areas. However in others, like the Oceanic region, levels have worsened since 1990.
4. Reduce Child Mortality
Goal: Reduce by two-thirds the number of children under the age of five, who die from preventable causes.
Progress: While death rates are falling overall, it is well short of the target set. Rates have more than halved in Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and North Africa. But they remain high in parts of Southern Asia, and the number of preventable child deaths has increased in Sub-Saharan Africa.
5. Improve Maternal Health
Goal: Reduce by two-thirds the number of women who die due to complications due to childbirth.
Progress: While some progress has been made, maternal death rates are still alarmingly high, especially among teen mothers.
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases
Goal: Achieve universal access to health care and treatment for infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS.
Progress: The spread of HIV/AIDS has stabilized in many areas, with a better rate of access to anti-viral drugs. Tuberculosis infection rates have improved. But funding for malaria is still falling behind what is needed to prevent spread of the disease.
7. Ensure Environmental Sustainability
Goal: Halve the number of people without access to appropriate drinking water and sanitation facilities.
Progress: The world is expected to meet the healthy water target, but half of those living in developing nations are still without access to sanitation facilities.
8. Develop a Global Partnership for Development
Goal: Through global partnerships, develop sustainable economic systems for developing nations. This involves all countries donating one per cent of national gross income towards development assistance.
Progress: Many developed nations donors—including Canada—are far below target in promised aid and assistance.
(With files from the BBC)
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