At the commencement of the 21st century, international development discourse has been focused on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In 2000, 189 countries adopted the Millennium Declaration pledging to halve extreme poverty by 2015. Unlike previous less successful initiatives, the MDGs were framed into 8 time-bound objectives.
The MDGs at midpoint
The MDGs have managed to seize the focus of academia and development media of the last few years. Many countries have integrated these goals into their development frameworks. Yusha'u a Ibrahim’s 12th February 2009 article “Nigeria: Jigawa Constructs Nine PHCs Under MDG” ,in the Nigerian Paper the Daily Trust, looked at one of the initiatives undertaken by a Nigerian state government to meets its commitments. According to the article, the Jigawas state government has constructed nine Primary Healthcare Centres. Furthermore, the state has made considerable budget allocations towards primary healthcare around the state.
The private sector has also jumped on board supporting the MDGs, with mobile technology giant Ericsson committing to raise awareness of the MDGs. According to itnewsafrica.com (“Ericsson spearheads MDGs awareness”, 7 October 2008)“Ericsson will use its global position as the leading telecommunications vendor to catalyze the telecom sector and harness the technology and expertise of the industry to find tangible solutions to halve global extreme poverty. By bringing together public and private partners around the Volvo Ocean Race, Ericsson is taking another step in its ongoing commitment to help achieve the MDGs by 2015.”
However, there have been differing views as to MDG progress. The Institut für Entwicklung und Frieden (INEF) 4th policy brief of 2008 entitled “The MDG Project in Crisis: Midpoint Review and Prospects for the Future” considered the half point success of the project. The INEF report highlighted the fact that most role players (the UN, World Bank, and NGOs) agree that most countries would not be able to achieve all the MDGs by 2015 at their present rate of progress. There has been considerable success in some areas, for example, the reduction of the number of people living in extreme poverty and the increase in the number of people with access to clean drinking-water. The INEF team pointed out that this success can be primarily attributed to individual “overachievers” in Asia. This success has not, as yet, been repeated in the rest of the developing world. The 2007 Millennium Development Goals Report stated that: "At the mid point between their adoption in 2000 and the 2015 target date for achieving the Millennium Development Goals, sub-Saharan Africa is not on track to achieve any of the goals. Although there have been major gains in several areas and the Goals remain achievable in most African nations, even the best governed countries of the continent have not been able to make sufficient progress in reducing extreme poverty in its many forms."
The Challenges Facing MDGs
Undoubtedly, a lot of work still has to be done to achieve the MDGs. The current tough economic times puts these goals under further stress as aid bases and development funding dries up. Furthermore, the global recession means that more people, particularly in the third world, would be swelling the ranks of those living below the poverty line.
The international community has to find innovative ways to meet their commitments. With bailout packages and stimulus plans being developed in various countries, there needs to be a long-term view with regards to international development- a failure to do so would be disastrous.
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