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NGO Committee on Social Development

 
The Millennium Development Goals stemming from the Millennium Declaration of 2000 have brought world leaders and peoples to focus energy and resources on the development of and for the most vulnerable persons and communities in our world.  Financial, fuel, food and climate crises have further exacerbated their vulnerability and that of our planet and must be addressed.

At the upcoming MDG Summit in September, 2010, world leaders will assemble to evaluate as well as celebrate the progress made and commit themselves to accelerate the pace to meet the MDGs by the target date of 2015.

Proposals

We, the NGO Committee on Social Development, including members of the Subcommittee for Poverty Eradication, having participated in the Civil Society Hearings organized by the UN General Assembly and in the online Consultation facilitated by the UN NGLS, propose the following as the highest priorities of the Summit Outcome Document as the way forward in accomplishing the MDGs:

1. Use human rights principles in planning both nationally and internationally for more inclusive and equitable distribution of resources for meeting the MDGs with focus on vulnerable groups such as people living in extreme poverty, women, children, people with disabilities and indigenous persons.  States should ratify the Optional Protocols to human rights treaties, especially the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).  A gender and social exclusion audit in conjunction with civil society should be part of the planning using data specifically relevant to each country.  (Paragraphs 6, 12a, b, c)
2. Develop mechanisms nationally and internationally to involve those most directly impacted by poverty and its consequences, by sickness, and by climate change to plan for what can and must be done with and for them.  The most vulnerable must be first identified so that their substantive participation may be encouraged toward effectively inclusive outcomes.  Therefore, the data forming the baselines, quantifying the outcomes, and guiding the way forward on the MDGs must be disaggregated to reflect disparities based on, for instance, race, ethnicity, gender, income and religion.  In the planning, mechanisms for regular review and evaluation by all parties involved of progress being made and for making adjustments need to be developed.  (Paragraphs 11, 12 f, h, 14 c)
3. Fully implement the Global Jobs Pact in the next five years as a powerful tool to address poverty long term and hold national and international governments accountable for policies and practices that insure “full and productive employment and decent work for all.”   (Paragraphs 8,14 d)   
4. Implement a universal Social Protection Floor that establishes a minimum level of income security and health care for all.  Countries will need to examine and eliminate policies such as “user fees” that keep people away from basic human services like education and health care. (Paragraphs, 14 d, l, m) 
5. Support the UN’s Development Cooperation Forum as a legitimate means for reforming and reshaping international development policies, for establishing means of evaluation of their effectiveness, for giving equal voice to all countries, donor and recipient, in charting the way forward, for holding all parties accountable for development efforts.  (Paragraph, 12 h)
6. One outcome of the MDG review must be a strengthened commitment to the multilateral process addressing climate change.  Member States must be ready to make specific targets relative to mitigation, adaptation, technology transfer and funding at the COP 16 meeting in Mexico.  (Paragraphs 22, 23 c)  
7. We believe greater effort on Goal 8 by all Member States is critical to achieving all the MDGs.  In particular we want to support:
    

• More debt cancellation, particularly, more recognition of illegitimate or odious debt.  Agreement on a formal and equitable international debt workout mechanism.  (Pargraph 25 e)
• Implement an international Financial Transaction Tax (FTT) with those funds going specifically to sustainable development and support of the MDGs.  (Pargraph 25 f)
• Support of the proposal for a Global Economic Council within the UN General Assembly.  Until that can be set up, we support extending the mandate of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Financial and Economic Crisis.  (Paragraph 24 p)
   

[Submitted by Sr. Fatima Rodrigo, IPA NGO Representative at the UN]