New set of Sustainable Development Goals

22 Mar, 2015 - 00:03 0 Views
New set of Sustainable Development Goals

The Sunday Mail

2111-1-1-MATERNITYDebra Matabvu

“What do you think is going to happen when you set a random number as a target? Well, of course, you are going to miss it . . . ”

“As long as the United Nations is willing to indulge in fanciful numbers, this is what is going to happen.”

These were the words of Amir Attaran of the Institute of Public Health at the University of Ottawa, back in 2000 at the Roll Back Malaria summit in Abuja.

“A decade from now, I am sure you are going to ask me why we didn’t reach the MDGs and I’m going to be telling you what I have just told you about Abuja – the numbers were utter fantasy,” he continued.

And with only 168 days left before the 14-year timeline set by the United Nations to achieve Millennium Development Goals expires, Attaran’s words seem prophetic.

Zimbabwe, and other developing countries, have failed to attain most of the eight targeted goals which include eradicating extreme hunger and poverty, making sure boys and girls receive education, reducing child mortality ratio and improving maternal health to certain levels.

According to the 2014 Millennium Development Goals Report released by the United Nations, most targets were not met.

Global emissions of carbon dioxide continued their upward trend and those in 2011 were almost 50 per cent above their 1990 level and millions of hectares of forest are lost every year globally.

The report also states that the proportion of under-nourished people in developing regions has decreased from 24 percent in 1990-1992 to 14 per cent in 2011-2013. However, the report states that progress has slowed down in the past decade.

The school enrolment rate in primary education in developing regions increased from 83 per cent to 90 percent between 2000 and 2012, with most of the gains achieved by 2007, after which progress stagnated. In 2012, 58 million children were out of school with the highest number being children from developing countries.

Even though maternal mortality ratio dropped by 45 percent between 1990 and 2013, from 380 to 210 deaths per 100 000 live births worldwide, almost 300 000 women died in 2013 alone due to causes related to pregnancy and childbirth, a figure that the report said is still high.

The United Nations has, however, been quick to respond to failed attempts to reach the goals. The biggest international body is in a process of defining a Post 2015 Development Agenda and a new set of targets under the name Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDGs) have already been proposed.

The SDGs are to be reached by 2030. At the moment, 17 SDGs have been proposed, with most of them derived from the MDGs. Member countries including Zimbabwe are expected to vote for developmental targets they feel are of importance.

However, the latest developments have been met with different reactions with many experts arguing that the global organisation might just be pouring new wine into old skins.

Experts say lack of funding is the reason which caused the dismal flop of the MDGs.

University of Zimbabwe Urban and Rural Planning Lecturer, Mr Nyasha Mutsindikwa said without funding the new set of goals were likely to flop as they are not really different from their predecessors. He said a lot of developing countries lacked funding, a situation that has seen the MDGs failing to achieve their targets.

“It’s a good idea because goals are key to any development agenda. Goals clarify the operational framework. However, with the performance of the MDGs in mind I don’t think these goals will be much different from the previous ones,” he said.

“Funding is the major challenge facing most developing countries like Zimbabwe but nations should always try to create their own funds by utilising their natural resources as well as entering into strategic partnerships with other countries which are well-off financially.

“Multi-lateral institutions must also provide unconditional financial support to all deserving nations in order to better achieve these goals.”

Zimbabwe Institute of Regional and Urban Planners president, Mr Percy Toriro, said there was need for clear frameworks on how the goals were going to be funded.

“The funding for the new focus is not clear. That may also be its failure point because they always talk about global aspirations that are not supported by relevant finances,” he said.

He also urged the Zimbabwean Government to partner with international investors if the proposed developmental goals are to be realised.

“Partnerships are important, external financing is critical, but let it all come and fit into our home-grown development model. We also should only engage partners that add value to our well-being without extracting much of our wealth.

“We must plan effectively in all areas, even when we don’t have money. Being such a technically gifted nation, let investors see us with plans ready for implementation.”

Gender activist and chairperson of Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe, Virginia Muwanigwa, is optimistic SDGs can be achieved if Zimbabwe and other countries learn from the challenges that hindered the attainment of the MDGs.

She says Zimbabwe has made significant progress in getting close to attaining some of the MDGs.

“Given the economic and political challenges that faced the country over the years, we can say we have made strides in attaining some of the MDGs which include combating HIV and Aids, gender equality, among other issues,” she said.

“Thus, it is important for countries to go back to the drawing board and try and see where we went wrong.”

In a paper issued by the National Association of Non-Governmental Organisation in September 2014, the MDGs did not precisely outline targets for Persons Living with Disabilities, and as such their inclusion in the Post 2015 development agenda will help fulfill some targets.

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