June 2010: Millennium Development Goals Review

Background:

In September of 2010 world leaders will gather for a High Level Plenary (HLP) at the United Nations to do a ten-year review of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The MDGs are time-bound targets agreed to by all the member nations in 2000 to reduce extreme poverty by one-half by the year 2015. The eight goals are: 1) Eradicate Hunger and Poverty; 2) Achieve Universal Primary Education; 3) Promote Gender Equality and Empower women; 4) Reduce Child Mortality; 5) Improve Maternal Health; 6) Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases; 7) Ensure Environmental Sustainability; and 8) Develop a Global Partnership for Development.

Although some progress has been made a great deal remains to be done if these goals are to be achieved by 2015. The Sisters of Charity Federation signed on to a letter with 100 other civil society organizations through the Global Call to Action Against Poverty calling for a Millennium Development Breakthrough Plan to be achieved at the UN Summit with clear and concrete results for the 1.4 billion people who continue to live in poverty.

The letter includes the following recommendations and demands: 1) there must be broad space for civil society participation at all levels; 2) the Review Process must address the issues of inequality and discrimination and the lack of progress on gender equality; 3) a gender and social inclusion audit must be carried out to measure to what extent achievements under the MDG Process have reached marginalized and excluded communities and persons; 4) there must be an effective and inclusive monitoring and accountability component; 5) concrete measures must be taken to address corruption; 6) countries must agree to binding timetables toward the attainment of Official Development Assistance (ODA) targets; 7) new forms for financing development are required; 8) the MDGs require an integrated approach to development; 9) urgent steps to achieve MDG8 must be included in the MDG Breakthrough Plan; 10) productive employment must be a key component of the Plan; 11) funds for climate change mitigation and adaptation must be additional to ODA; and 12) the MDG Breakthrough Plan must recognize the centrality of emissions reduction to combat climate change.

Action

Although we have signed on as a Federation each of the civil society organizations is being urged to invite their individual members to support this initiative. 

Send to: Mr. Ban Ki-moon

Office of the Secretary General

The United Nations

New York, New York 10017

Dear Secretary General Ban Ki-moon:
I urge you to support the Millennium Breakthrough Plan submitted to you by the Global Call to Action against Poverty in the name of 100 civil society organizations. Your leadership is needed at the MDG Review to both challenge world leaders to honor commitments already made and to help them recognize that, in the aftermath of the financial and climate crises, more funding will be required to meet the MDGs.