MDGs: Should It Be Extended or Not?

A. Topic Background

The idea of eradicating poverty and mitigating the challenges mankind are currently facing

has ultimately become the main goal of ours. The economic gaps between member states has

also long become considerations of other nations. The embryonic idea of strategically planned

aid from developed countries to developing countries arose around the end of the first World

War, with the Marshall Plan seeded by the United States. Although the intention of such

philanthropic action was war-surrounded, there was a slight of kind intention to give financial

aid to the needing.

More than 70 years after the Marshall Plan, member states of the United Nations

gathered in September 2000 to draft the so called most influential framework of humans to

create betterment of life everywhere around the world. The document was later better known

as Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). MDGs consisted of 8 ambitious points of goals,

which obligate to be achieved by member states by 2015. This is one of a strength of MDGs,

by setting a clear timeline of goal, so that the aim of every states is clear.

The 8 points of MDGs include:

1. Eradicating Extreme Poverty and Hunger

2. Achieving Universal Primary Education

3. Promoting Gender Equality and Empowering Women

4. Reducing Child Mortality Rates

5. Improving Maternal Health

6. Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases

7. Ensuring Environmental Sustainability

8. Developing Global Partnership for development

The point of MDGs seemed to assess the basic and most primary needs of humans,

and tend to make a spillover effect if not fought vigorously. The order of the points are also

made according to the prioritization proposed by the member states. Which also means that

countries can have the solvation of the points orderly.

However, many sees MDGs as less solving and even prolong the problem-less-solved.

The main critics of MDGs is because it does not provide a clear framework on how countries

can achieve the goals by 2015. Each countries have different capacities, different ideological

background which eventually affect the goal achieving process. Some least developed

countries’ goals left unreached. Even some least developed and developing countries interpret

the MDGs as the way to seek aids from developed countries. If we take a closer look at all of

them, everything seems to be correct, and neither are false, since there has never been a

clear guidelines for countries to achieve the goals by 2015. Along with this reason, another

questionable opinion arrives, on how the sustainability of the goals can be preserved

whenever the goals are already reached by the countries. There is also no a long term

mechanism to assist nations in preserving the achieved goals. The third one is that the MDGs

is mostly comprised by states and elites, while ignoring the role of civil societies in the drafting

process. This raises the hesitation upon the true motives behind MDGs itself, whether it really

brings humanity values under its belt, or only becomes a political stepping stones for several

countries/actors. The fact that many of the goals remained unachieved in several poor

countries also shows how the control of the societies that is supposed to be there is nowhere

to be found. Fourth, is the problem of cashes. Means, how countries obtain the funding to do

the goals they are obligated to achieve. It is clear that this MDGs is a big project. It thus also

requires a lot of money. And most of countries who are under the circle of troubling countries

are developing countries and or least developed countries. This become a major problem

which confuse a lot of people as well, and many regard this factor as the main cause of the

current situation of unachieved goals.

But this does not mean that the MDGs do not bring a significant matter toward the

betterment of the humanity. It did fix and bring betterments and progresses for the humanity

problems (which are derived on the goals) in many areas around the world. But clearly there

still is a long way to achieve the goal anytime near 2015.

The important questioned delivered regarding the 2015 deadline then is the future

after the 2015 itself. Whether the UN-GA will have another further mechanism or everything

should just be abandoned, left, after the 2015 deadline is passed.

The fact is also provided on the table. Countries have different level of achievement

on the goals. Some able, some are not. Some succeeded, some did not. And the 2015 deadline

is approaching slowly but sure.

B. Emergence of The Millennium Development Goals

As briefly explained at the beginning of this paper, the basic idea to elevate the welfare

of people around the world, as well as eradicate the economic and social disparities among

nation state, was originally embedded at the agenda of Marshall Plan, an aid package form

the United States to the European countries to restore themselves from the impacts of

World Was which were to economically terrible. This is the first internationally intended

mechanism to maintain the fair distribution of the wealth to all people across nations. Then

come the agreement of GATT, which was actually aimed to erase the restraints of

international trade, so then developing countries (and the economically damaged

developed countries), as well as the least developed countries could have better and wider

access towards international markets. This is also one of the indications of earlier stage of

world’s economic problems eradication, by distributing aids to the needing countries, and

giving better space for developing countries to compete with developed countries and

gained development in return.

Another important stepping stone was a report, published in 1990 about the Human

Development. The development mechanism emphasizes the importance of values of

humanities in any agenda of development, such as human rights, equalities, environment,

and alike, in order to create a sustainable development and is also in line with the

fundamental value of ‘helping’, since the practical level of GATT was in fact cornered the

developing countries because developed countries lacked of ‘humanity values’ and violated

the regulations directly and indirectly. So the stress of humanity should be put into a strong

consideration. It also introduced the importance of basic needs, such as need of free from

hunger, disaster, and alike. The basic needs were considered as main pillars and

foundations to guaranteed-ly achieve the further goals.

After series of international discussion, debates, and many other interests-based

meetings, finally in 2000, member states came into an agreement, to settle the socio

economic challenge by relying on several goals to achieve. This internationally agreed

development goals are codified into the Millennium Development Goals. This guideline

provided a comprehensive and clear goals, along with the detailed deadlines. These

deadlines are to make sure each countries is indeed committed to work hard on fulfilling

the requirement of the pursuit if the goals. And as already understood, there are 8 main

goals to be achieved by the member states by 2015, they are:

- Eradicating Extreme Poverty and Hunger

The goal aim to erase the extreme poverty and hunger in the world (mostly in third

world countries) by equipping three sub-goals, which are; (1) to halve ,between

1990-2015, the number of people whose income is less than 1.25$ a day. (2) to

achieve full productive and decent employment for all, including women and young

people. (3) to halve, between 1990-2015, the number of people who suffer from

hunger

- Achieving Universal Primary Education

The main target of this goal is, by 2015, all children all over the world, whether

they are girls, boys, and like, is able to obtain and finish the primary schooling

education

- Promoting Gender Equality and Empowering Women

This goal aims to eliminate the gender disparities, especially to women, in primary

and secondary schooling preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later

than 2015

- Reducing Child Mortality Rates

This goal has a major target of decreasing by two-thirds, by 2015, the under-five

children mortality rates in the world

- Improving Maternal Health

The specific targets of this goal include; (1) to reduce by three-quarters, by 2015,

the maternal mortality ratio. (2) to achieve, by 2015, universal access to

productive health

- Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases

The targets vary and are wide strategic guidelines, which include; (1) to have

halted by 2015 and begun the reserve the spread of HIV/AIDS. (2) to achieve by

2010, universal access to the treatment for HIV/AIDS to those who are sincerely

in danger and need it. (3) to have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the

incidence of malaria and other major diseases

- Ensuring Environmental Sustainability

Targets include; (1) integrate values of environmental sustainability into countries’

policies and programs and reverse the biodiversity loss of environmental resources.

(2) to reduce biodiversity loss, achieving by 2010 a significant reduction in the rate

of loss. (3) to halve by 2015 proportion of people without sustainable access to the

safe drinking water and sanitation basics. (4) to have achieved a significant

improvement in at least 2020 in the lives of 100 million slum dwellers

- Developing Global Partnership for development

Under this section, there are these targets; (1) develop a further open, rule-based,

nondiscriminatory trading and financial system. (2) address the special needs of

least developed countries. (3) address special needs of landlocked developing

countries and small island developing countries. (4) deal comprehensively with

debt problems of developing countries through national and international measures

in order to make debt sustainable in the long term. (5) in cooperation with the

pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable essential drugs in

developing countries. (6) in cooperation with the private sector, make available

the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications.

These eight goals represent the basic needs of humans, and most of the guidelines

provide several solvency points for the developing countries and least developed countries.

The guidelines also provide very clear deadlines, in order to make sure the achievement of

the goals is accomplished.

C. Critiques To The MDGs

The raise of critiques from many sided evoked when the progress report of MDGs

released by UN Statistics in 2005 did not show a very expected outcome. The progress

showed there were still many goals with their sub-goals in many regions were not

accomplished. Not even close to an accomplishment. Most of them are either having no

progress or targets will be not achieved in 2015 if the current trends still prevail. The fact

was worrying, seeing the mechanism had run for its first five-year period. It also brought

doubts and hesitation upon a full achievement in 2015. The detailed facts can be seen

below:

From the beginning of the making process of the mechanism, many critiques had

arisen among academics and researchers, on how the sustainability of the mechanism, as

well as the capabilities of countries to make the accomplishment of the goals reached. If

being classified, there are three major points of loopholes in the mechanism. First, it is the

nature of the mechanism itself. Second it is the internal factors of the struggling countries.

And the third is the shady international political agenda.

First, it is the problem of the mechanism itself. As already briefly explained in the

background section, the problem lies on the fact that the goals do not provide any clear

mechanism on how countries can achieve each goal. It only gives what objectives countries

should pay attention to, and when should they be obliged to already accomplished such

objectives. Countries are not directed about how they are going to achieve such ambitious

goals. Meanwhile, countries differ one to another. Such accomplishments are piece of cake

for developed countries named United States, European Union, Japan, and such. But

African, Southern and Southeastern Asian, Latin America, Oceania countries are still

dumbfounded on finding ways to reach the goals. They are ‘powerless’ in term of resources

to fulfill the goals, albeit, they are the core countries that should be helped. But no clear

mechanism created for them to mitigate their own problems. This is becoming one of the

factors many developing and least developed countries were still found incapable of

achieving the goals and surmounting their problems in the 2005 report. The mechanism

also lacks future possibilities. As understood before, the deadline of 2015 is slowly

approaching but many areas and countries are clueless on how they are going to bring the

goals into achievement. The mechanism implicitly believes that all the goals are to be

achieved in 2015, by relying on the fact that it does not have any post-2015 agenda. But

ironically, the reality stabs. It surely lacks of ‘plan B’. And that ‘plan B’ is what the council

in this conference aims to construct.

The second factor of failure is the problem of in-countries. In line with the previously

explained point, some countries are in fact unable to reach the goals, and therefore make

the goals seem unreachable. Many are unable to do this after the fact that they are

economically endangered, and putting extra objectives on their policy (which surely are

costly) is indeed only gives a big bigger burden for them. And some least developed

countries’ condition is worsened by civil conflicts inside their countries. Take Sierra Leone.

In early 2000s, its GDP PPP was around 600$, 70% of its people live under the poverty

line. The country then classified as poor country. From the beginning, they have no

resourceful power to even feed their own people. Then their civil war embarked in 1990s

until 2005 when UN Peacekeeping troops were finally pulled out of the nation. They suffered

a lot from the civil war, and resulted in their inability to fulfill the goals in the first five-year

period.

The third factor is the ‘shady’ international political agenda. The issue is strongly

related to the international political economy system. The system (which is also codified

on the 8th point of the goals) pushes for a more liberalized and open-market economic

system. This originally seen as the intention to erase all restraints of the developing

countries to get into the international market which is dominated mainly by developed

countries, and brings fairness to the international trade and financial system. However, the

reality shows otherwise. Developing countries are getting more pushed by the growing

domination of developed countries. On the 2005 progress report, Sub-Saharan African

countries did not show a progress on bringing down the poverty and income level. Instead,

it grew, as seen on the chart and graphic,

D. Current Situation

Despite growing critiques regarding the unachieved goals of MDGs in poor countries, it

does, in fact, bring progress towards the whole condition of humans around the world. And

even the 2005 progress report resulted in many doubts and hesitations, the 2012 report

showed a better condition and clearly progressed stage. Several graphics reaffirm this

condition. We can see from the 1st goal, the eradication of poverty and extreme hunger. The

tables and alike are as below

Graphic of Poverty

around the world from

time to time

World Hunger Report

under the mechanism

Off course, the above graphic shows a significant progress compared to previous years.

But still some crucial countries are still long from surpassing the target, unlike the more

developed countries. This is why questions exist regarding the future after 2015, seeing a lot

of countries are far from achieving the target.

E. Follow-up Solution: Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

There are so many proposed solutions seeking to replace, fix, and supplement the

current MDGS. Among so many, there are two major solutions that have been voiced out by

many countries as the new mechanism that is prominent to be done imminently, especially

after the 2015. Those two mechanisms are the Sustainable Development Goals. This

mechanism is regarded as the solvencies which give better promises compared to the

Millennium Development Goals. However, off course there are still many controversies,

contradicting opinions and tight debates regarding this mechanism, whether it is really the

promising guidelines that have been waited by the international society, and should be

implemented imminently after the 2015.

Sustainable Development Goals was a set of guidelines which were released on the Rio+20

Summit last year, on June 2012. This is codified as the official document outcome in this

summit, and is still on a very tight process before officially submitted to the UN Post-2015

Agenda. Rio+20 formed a Task Force team, a 30-member Open Working Group (OWG), which

currently handles the preparations of constructing the proposal to be brought to the 68th

session of UN General Assembly this September 2013-September 2014 to be decided its

future.

Colombia and Guatemala are the two countries who originally proposed the agenda on the

summit. The basic argument which differ this mechanism and the previous development goals

is the point of environment. SDGs defenders believe that this aspect even if one of the goal

in MDGs, it is still not upheld and implemented very well by the nation states. Environmental

aspect is indeed the core value that determines the balance and the harmony between human

and the nature, and thus in long term will become the key factor of future sustainable

development.

In the Rio+20 outcome document, member states agreed that the guidelines in SDGs

must:

- Be based on Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.

- Fully respect all the Rio Principles.

- Be consistent with international law.

- Build upon commitments already made.

- Contribute to the full implementation of the outcomes of all major summits in the

economic, social and environmental fields.

- Focus on priority areas for the achievement of sustainable development, being

guided by the outcome document.

- Address and incorporate in a balanced way all three dimensions of sustainable

development and their interlinkages.

- Be coherent with and integrated into the United Nations development agenda beyond

2015.

- Not divert focus or effort from the achievement of the Millennium Development

Goals.

- Include active involvement of all relevant stakeholders, as appropriate, in the

process.

The commitments of the states in the Sustainable Development Goals in Rio+20 summit

were codified through the document titled ‘The Future We Want’ which then became the basis

of the post-2015 projects under Sustainable Development Goals, which included Open

Working Group on Sustainable Development, The Intergovernmental Committee of Experts

on Sustainable Development Financing and the High Level Political Forum. These three

subprojects are working simultaneously and separately to prepare the final proposal of

Sustainable Development Agenda which is set to be voted on the upcoming Sustainable

Development Summit in September 2015.

Between the establishment of the agenda in 2012 and the upcoming summit in September

2015, the ongoing discussions between the three main projects are still on their tracks. the

results from consultations and other processes will be included in the Secretary General

Synthesis Report which is expected to be finalized by the end of 2014. The key events in 2014

include:

- Consultations coordinated by the UN Development Group will focus on financing and

other means of implementation at the national, regional and global level.

- The President of the General Assembly plans to hold six events – three thematic

debates and three high-level events -- on the post-2015 development agenda from

February through June 2014.

- The High-level Political Forum will meet at the ministerial level as part of the high-level

segment of the Economic and Social Council in July 2014.

- Sessions of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals conclude in

February 2014. The Group will then consider specific goals and work on negotiating a

text for its Report to be presented to Member States in September 2014.

- The report by the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable

Development Financing is expected to be presented in September 2014.

- The Secretary-General’s Synthesis Report will be presented to Member States to set

the stage for negotiations leading up to the Summit in September 2015.

The Open Working Group in Sustainable Development discussions have been conducted 10

times, being the last time was on 31 March-4 April of 2014. The High Level Political Forum in

Sustainable Development has conducted 1 session, being the first one was on September

2013 and the next one is expected to come in July this year. While the Intergovernmental

Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing already has 3 sessions, with the

last time was on 3-7 March 2014.

F. Timeline of Significant Events

- 1992

Rio Summit (UN Conference on the Environment and Development)

- 1994

International Conference on Population and Development

- 1995

World Summit on Social Development

- 2000

United Nations Millennium Summit, the crystallization of development values to the

Millennium Development Goals

- 2001

Official Announcement of the Millennium Development Goals

- 2005

World Summit, the reaffirmation of the countries’ commitment to the Millennium

Development Goals

- 2006

New addition to the target in point 5 in MDGs, regarding the maternal health,

announced by the Secretary General, Kofi Annan

- 2008

United States financial crisis, which led to the global financial crisis and directly

affected the efforts of nations in fulfilling the goals

- 2012

Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon announced the formation of special task force

team, The High Level Panel in respond to the MDGs crisis; Rio+20 Summit which

marked the Sustainable Development Goals codification along with the Open

Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development, The Intergovernmental

Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing and the High Level

Political Forum.

- 14-31 March of 2013

OWG on Sustainable Development First Meeting

- 28-30 August 2013

The Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development

Financing first Session

- 24 September 2013

High Level Political Forum first meeting

- The end of 2014

Secretary General’s Synthesis Report release

- September 2015

Summit on Sustainable Development

G. Questions A Resolution Must Answer (QARMAs)

Given the issues and current status quo, the council urges the delegates to answer the

following QARMAs during the conference.

1. Is the MDGs still needed by the member states in mitigating the humanity problems,

seeing there are many loopholes in the practical level of the project?

2. If yes, how will member states ensure the achievement of the goals is going to be

obtained by the member states?

3. If no, are the problems of the current MDGs that crucial so that it should be replaced?

And how is the proposed solution by the member states? How will the solution sustain,

efficiently achieve the goals, and guarantee that it will not re-invite classic problems

of MDGs?

4. Concerning the works of the United Nations are currently focused on drafting SDGs

proposal and guidelines to be voted on the upcoming summit in September 2015, how

is then MDGs is pictured and realized in SDGs? Shall MDGs be substituted with SDGs,

or SDGs be regarded as the continuation of MDGs?

H. Relevant Research Sources

- United Nations Economic Council official website

<http://www.un.org/en/ecosoc/about/index.shtml>

- The High Level Panel on Post-2015 Development Agenda official website

<http://www.post2015hlp.org/>

- Substantial Development Goals official website

<http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?menu=1300>

- United Nations Statistics, relevant sources for the annual reports of MDGs, <

http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mdg/Resources/Static/Products/ >

- World Bank, trusted resource to also see the annual progress of each points of

MDGs,

<http://econ.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTDECPROSPECTS/0,,

contentMDK:23100866~menuPK:7859331~pagePK:64165401~piPK:64165026~t

heSitePK:476883,00.html>

- My World 2015 website <http://www.myworld2015.org/>

- Post2015.org, an independent website providing thoughts on post-2015

development agenda <http://post2015.org/>

- MDGs 2013 Report <http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/report-2013/mdg-

report-2013-english.pdf>