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At the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000, the international community reached consensus on working to achieve eight critical economic and social development priorities by 2015. Promoting gender equality and empowering women is clearly embedded in the Millennium Declaration, and is one of the eight MDGs. Set at the heart of the development agenda, the MDGs are a fresh promise for progress on gender equality and women’s empowerment. Conversely, gender equality and women’s empowerment are critical to achieving the MDGs – most obviously Goal 2 on universal primary education, Goal 4 on reducing child mortality, Goal 5 on improving maternal health, and Goal 6 on combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.
The Millennium Development Goals and targets come from the Millennium Declaration, signed by 189 countries, including 147 Heads of State and Government, in September 2000 and from further agreement by member states at the 2005 World Summit (Resolution adopted by the General Assembly). The goals and targets are interrelated and should be seen as a whole. They enjoin the developed countries and the developing countries through a partnership that would be conducive to development and to the elimination of poverty.
Previous reports: In 2005, the Government of South Africa produced its first national report on progress made towards achieving the MDGs. The report concluded that for a number of goals, targets and associated indicators, considerable progress towards the achievement of national development targets was made. This applied specifically to economic growth (GDP), poverty reduction, gender equality, primary education and maternal health. At the same time there was a worrying trend in HIV and AIDS prevalence, while unemployment and inequality remained at high levels. A second MDG update was published for 2007 and updated in 2008. This was almost at the midway point between 2000 and 2015. This report provided a mid-term review of both the encouraging achievements and the challenges that remained on the path towards achieving the MDGs by 2015.
Current report: As noted in the previous report, concerns were raised regarding the extent to which the MDG reports had been the outcome of consultative processes. Therefore, in order to address the limitations of the past report and updates, the 2010 Country Report process was designed to be widely consultative and transparent, yet concerns that dogged previous reports continued to linger and as a consequence a lot of energy was directed, albeit in the latter part of the process, at ensuring that civil society (to the extent possible) participated in the process. The report notes that a variety of stakeholders were engaged on how to achieve domestication of MDGs in the country in a way that reflects local context. As a result some of the globally designed targets and indicators were brought to relate to local reality through a series of methodology workshops at the national and provincial levels of government with all organs of state, although the report notes that civil society participation was sporadic and often erratic. Out of these meetings, however, emerged what was largely a government report. Having noted this major limitation, CSOs and government agreed to engage with the report. The Country Report was concluded on the strength of resolutions, recommendations as well as a programme of action emanating from the Cape Town Summit on MDGs organised by Civil Society Organisations. This was held from 30 August to 1 September. Further consultations and presentation of the report were made to the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) and to the rest of the provincial CSOs.
Role of UNDP: UNDP’s role is primarily supportive and guided by the UN Core Strategy on MDGs: Advocacy: Supporting advocacy for the MDGs and working with stakeholders to mobilize commitments and build capabilities on the MDGs; Analysis: Researching and sharing best strategies on MDGs via innovative practices, policy and institutional reforms, means of policy implementation, and evaluation of financing options; Monitoring: Helping countries report advancement towards the MDGs and track progress; Operational activities: Support governments to tailor MDGs to local circumstances and challenges; address key constraints to progress on the MDGs.
"Looking ahead to 2015 and beyond, there is no question that we can achieve the overarching goal: we can put an end to poverty. In almost all instances, experience has demonstrated the validity of earlier agreements on the way forward; in other words, we know what to do. But it requires an unswerving, collective, long-term effort." - United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
