UN MDG Summit 2010

  In 2000, world leaders at the United Nations (UN) signed the Millennium Declaration, committing themselves to an international 15- year effort to combat poverty. This took the form of eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to be met by the year 2015. These eight MDGs, through partnership with national and global communities, aim to reduce poverty, hunger, sickness, inadequate shelter, gender inequality, improve maternal and child health, promote environmental sustainability, as well as global partnership. 10 years later, they are scheduled to assemble again in New York on the 20^th to the 22^nd of September for the United Nations High-level Plenary Meeting on the Millennium Development Goals or, as it more concisely known, the UN MDG Summit.

  The summit will serve as a platform to track and review the progress that has been made so far as well as implement a plan of acceleration in order to meet its deadline in five years.

What is being discussed at the MDG Summit?

  Though there have been significant strides towards meeting the MDGs set out in 2000, the pace has been inconsistent and has not been advancing fast enough to meet the 2015 target date. In order to rectify this, leaders at the summit will evaluate the successes and failures of previous implementation over the past 10 years, announcing their plans and strategies towards achieving the MDGs. They will seek agreement on an agenda that will “[lead] to concrete strategies for action.”

  In the 2010 Millennium Development Goals Report,, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon wrote in his foreword, “The world possesses the resources and knowledge to ensure that even the poorest countries, and others held back by disease, geographic isolation or civil strife, can be empowered to achieve the MDGs.”

Who will be there?

  The Summit will be attended by over 100 Heads of State and Government, as well as, leaders from the private sector, foundations and civil society organizations. Key players during this Summit will be the UN Economic and Social Council, which is responsible for the coordination of the social and economic work of UN agencies; UN Development Programme, which is an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources; The Millennium Project, which was commissioned by the United Nations Secretary-General in 2002 to recommend a concrete action plan for the world to reverse poverty, and the other UN partners that have a vital role in shaping UN policy. 

  The two Co-Facilitators, the Ambassadors of Senegal and Denmark to the UN, are important players in the coming months leading up to and during the Summit. Appointed to smooth the way for the inter-governmental negotiating process, they, with recommendations from member states, are the ones to finalize the Zero Draft Outcome Document that will set the tone and agenda for the Summit in September.

What can be achieved?

  After the 2010 MDG Report was released, over 100 civil society organizations sent an open letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon detailing that progress so far has been unsatisfactory. The letter also had demands and recommendations for an MDG Breakthrough Plan to be brought forward in the Summit. These include agreeing on a global action plan that would include better finances, accountability mechanisms and involvement of the civil society; enhancing national and global approaches towards effectively meeting the MDGs; and providing a renewed focus on the most off-track targets and countries with additional focus on the poorest.

  The majority of the Summit’s focus will be on producing strategies to overcome the old and new challenges presented, as well as accelerate implementation and progress towards achieving the MDGs. It is hoped that this meeting will also strengthen the commitment that these 189 countries have made towards meeting their goals and targets in the remaining five years till the 2015 deadline.

The Major Blockages to Progress

  The countries that are the most vulnerable and have the most to benefit from the achievement of the MDGs are almost always the ones that face the most obstacles to its realization. Less Developed Countries (LDCs) have a number of inherent structural hindrances that have further been exacerbated by recent catastrophes, such as the global economic crisis, climate change, food crisis, debt crisis, corruption and armed conflict to name a few .

  The devastating effects of these disasters are not only limited to the LDCs, however. Developed and developing countries are also feeling the weight of the events of the past decade. Essential to the MDGs is global partnership and an important component towards progress is the contribution that these developed countries can make through trade, aid, debt relief, and the transfer of knowledge and technology. As these countries tighten their purse strings and increasingly turn their focus to domestic issues, rather than global ones, less and less emphasis is being placed on fulfilling their commitments to the MDGs.

  Recently, the G8 Summit held in Huntsville, Canada on June 25^th, gave cause for slight concern in regard to the future of the MDGs. Though aggressive steps were made towards MDG 4 (child mortality) and 5 (maternal health), the failure to mention previous commitments, such as at the Gleneagles conference, is worrying. It is estimated that only two-thirds of the financial commitments made by the G8 members have been kept so far.

Why is this Summit Important to Micah Challenge?

  Micah Challenge advocates on the MDGs. As such, the summit is of vital importance to the work that Micah Challenge does. Collectively, the world does have the resources, knowledge, and capabilities to ensure that all countries, developed, developing and undeveloped, achieve the promise of the MDGs. The Summit is a reaffirmation of the dedication of these countries to halving the world’s poverty by 2015.

  MDG 8 (global partnership) in particular is of significant importance. It is the only goal without set time-bound targets. At its most fundamental level, the MDGs call for a global partnership between countries, regardless of wealth, developmental stage, or race, to rid the world of poverty. Just like the success of each MDG is intertwined—one affecting the other— the same can be said of the countries of the world. The success of one, amazing and wonderful as it may be, cannot help but be affected by the situation of the other. An understanding of this is crucial to Micah Challenge.

  As we are commanded to “act justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with [our] God,” (Micah 6:8), how can we see the suffering of our brothers and sisters and not be moved to action?

Prayer Points for the UN MDG Summit

We, as the Church, should pray:

- For the health and safety of each person in attendance

- That the leaders will be able to construct workable plans of action towards meeting their MDG goals

- The support of the peoples represented by the leaders in attendance

- That a spirit of compassion and global responsibility will be prevalent throughout the three days of the Summit

- The Heads of State and Government will follow through with the promises and commitments made