Beyond MDGs 2015: Time to push for girls, women’s rights
On April 5, 2013 the United Nations (UN) and partners worldwide observed the 1,000-day mark to the 2015 target date for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
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Thus began the 1,000 days’ countdown to accelerate action on the eight international development goals that were officially established following the Millennium Summit of the UN in 2000, to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality and empower women, reduce child mortality rate, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensure environmental sustainability, and develop a global partnership for development by the year 2015.
During the latter part of March a 27 member High-Level Panel meeting involving global leaders was held in Bali, Indonesia to establish a framework for global development beyond 2015. The two-day meeting discussed global cooperation in seeking ways to address development agendas after the expiration of MDGs in 2015.
They discussed what the MDGs had achieved, what lessons could be learned from their implementation, and how the world had changed since the MDGs were drafted.They also deliberated which global trends and uncertainties would influence the international development agenda over the next 10-30 years.
A communiqué issued after the Bali High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons meeting highlighted four key areas on which progress is needed to achieve the post- 2015 vision.
These are: Reshaped and revitalised global governance and partnerships, Protection of the global environment, Strengthened means of implementation and Sustainable Production and Consumption.
The meeting, co-chaired by the Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, agreed on the need for a renewed Global Partnership that enables a transformative, people-centred and planet-sensitive development agenda which is realised through the equal partnership of all stakeholders.
Such partnership, the panel said, should be based on the principles of equity, sustainability, solidarity, respect for humanity and shared responsibilities in accordance with respective capabilities.
“Our vision is to end extreme poverty in all its forms in the context of sustainable development and to have in place the building blocks of sustained prosperity for all,” the communique stated
Here in Ghana, representatives from across the country also met in Accra, on March 21 to validate findings on the Ghana Post-2015 national consultations.
Issues of inequalities, environmental sustainability, food security, governance at all levels, population dynamics, health and education remain issues of concern for many Ghanaians according to findings from national consultations on the post-2015 development agenda.
The national consultations included stakeholder workshops in the three northern regions, focus group discussions in 15 deprived and marginalised communities, social media engagement and other meetings and are part of a global process to draft Ghana’s input for the post-2015 development agenda. The inclusive nature of these consultations provided an opportunity for Ghanaians to make their voices heard on the “World They Want”.
The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) and the UN System in Ghana on Tuesday March 26, 2013 further held a validation workshop to consider the findings of the consultations and particularly to share the issues that emerged from the consultations with all stakeholders from November 2012 to date.
The final report following the workshop will be forwarded to the UN Secretary General for presentation at the Post-2015 Special Session of the General Assembly along with reports from other participating countries.
Dr. Regina O. Adutwum, Director- General of NDPC said, “we are particularly pleased with the findings at the moment and we look forward to an active participation in the upcoming workshop to validate what Ghanaians are saying regarding the direction they want the world to go in terms of the global development agenda”.
With the Bali meeting over, the Panel will begin to draft a final report that will lead to the creation of a new cooperation framework to replace the MDGs , which would probably be called Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This period is critical for girls and women around the world as the high-level panel report will determine the development priorities governments and international agencies pursue for decades to come. They will determine whether investing in the health, safety, education, and empowerment of women and girls remains a priority.
As this decision will impact on individuals, families, and nations, it has become critical that countries, particularly those in Africa, push for the inclusion of girls’ and women’s health and rights.
The post-2015 development framework will be a key topic of discussion at Women Deliver 2013, an international meeting which will take place in May in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Women Deliver offers the next big opportunity to call for global action to improve the lives of girls and women.
Ghana will be well represented at the meeting and as such, must take advantage of the opportunity the meeting offers and call attention to the critical importance of investing in girls and women in Ghana.
The women and girls of this country count on the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to be visible in pushing for the inclusion of the rights of women and girls in the post-2015 agenda.
Story: Rosemary Ardayfio
Writers E-mail: [email protected]