Contents:
Query: The
face of the MDG's - Request for stories - Erin Trowbridge, UNDP
Communications Office
"The UNDP Communications Office in
New York is gearing up for this year's advocacy work on the Millennium
Development Goals--which will form the core of all of our outreach. As
I'm sure many of you realize, one of the biggest challenges in getting
people (not just media, but also NGOs, CSOs, government and private sector
partners) to support the goals and buy into the idea is the skepticism
many have about the actual feasibility of Goals themselves. Part of our
challenge is to deconstruct the notion that these are just another set
of unrealistic goals. To do this, we need your help. We're looking for
stories from the ground where goal-setting has worked. We have global
examples (smallpox eradication, reduction of infant mortality, etc.) but
to really make the case, we'd like to get more micro examples of countries,
cities, counties, where goal-setting exercises have worked. I'm certain
there are loads of success stories out there and we're keen to hear them
and begin to use them in our outreach. Also, please bare in mind, we aren't
just looking for success stories. We want to be able to explain the Goals
and the need for them in a richer, more dynamic way. We are also looking
for stories that present a challenge; a country that aimed to counteract
the spread of AIDS, for instance, and did not meet the challenge.
So that we can begin to categorize
and store the case studies, please use the following questions as a guideline
for your replies.
1.) What was the goal?
2.) How long did it take for the
country to meet it or, failing that,realize it must be re-envisioned?
3.) How was the goal achieved? or
Why was it not achieved?
4.) Is there a person who personifies
the struggle to make the Goal a reality? For example, a mayor who doubled
the rate of primary school enrollment, a religious leader who successfully
battled discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS.
Ultimately we would like to develop
a rich bank of MDG stories that we can use as examples for the media, in
speeches, for outreach to external partners, and, frankly, to increase
internal awareness and buy-in throughout the UN. Thank you so much in advance
for any thoughts, leads or case studies you can send our way. Please send
your replies to myself, the media focal point for MDGs, and to William
Orme, the chief of the UNDP media section."
NOTE that the Stories you share
WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR INCLUSION IN THE 2003 Illustrated Annual Report
by UNDP's Communications Office. Country Teams who have shared stories
on a similar query on RR-Net may consider posting jointly with MDG Net
by sending tomdg-net@groups.undp.org,
cc erin.trowbridge@undp.org &
william.orme@undp.org
Query: Kenya/Challenges
in measuring progress towards MDGs and request for ideas -
Cleophas Torori, UN, Kenya
As is increasingly becoming evident
in the process of preparing the first MDGR progress report for Kenya (due
January 2003), the ability to measure progress in reaching the millennium
development goals is no better than the quality of the data. Some of the
problems encountered include:(a) the indicator may conceptually not be
the right measure for the goal; (b) the country data may not be available;
(c) the country data may not be accurate; (d) the coverage of the indicator
may not be sufficient for global and regional estimates; and (e) the available
data may not be consistent over time. A brief survey through the goals
reveals more of this and related constraints being encountered. Do other
people find similar constraints? what options do we have as we monitor
and report on progress? We would welcome any views/suggestions on this
topic. For full query, please go to the Archives.
Thank you for your contributions. Replies and comments can be sent to mdg-net@groups.undp.org
Query: Measuring
Target 11 (slum dwellers)/survey opportunities - Nefise
Bazoglu, UN Habitat, Nairobi
Kindly notify Nefise Bazoglu of survey
opportunities going on in your countries, to which target 11 measurement
initiatives "might piggyback with seed funding and technical expertise
from Habitat." Many thanks to those who have responded.
Send further replies to Nefise.Bazoglu@unhabitat.org
Note that
resources shared in the discussion of Target 11 have been posted to our
MDG Net Resource Corner and are listed below.
Find full MDG Net ARCHIVES (new
users must register) at
http://groups.undp.org/lyris/helper/index.cfm
New on the MDG Net Resource Corner
Find all documents in this section on the MDG Net Resource Corner at: www.undg.org / Implementing the Millennium Declaration / MDGNet / MDG Net Resource Corner /Password- mdgnet2002 / MDG Tools, Research, and Experiences
Multi media
Tools -
PARIS21
video - "If You Can't Measure It, You Can’t Manage It"
PARIS21 has
produced a 25-minute English-language advocacy video, entitled "Measuring
the Change in World Poverty". The documentary film starts with the international
agenda on poverty reduction and indicators, covers results-based success
stories in Uganda, and discusses indicators and the need for better statistics.
The film features interviews with H.E. President Yoweri Museveni (Uganda),
Rt. Hon. Clare Short (UK), and the Hon. Trevor Manuel (South Africa) plus
a number of experts in poverty, health, and statistics from anglophone
Africa. The audience is primarily professionals working in the statistical
field in anglophone Africa. This is recommended as an advocacy tool
for MDG statistical capacity training. Find it
linked to the MDG Net Resource Corner and also at: http://www.paris21.org/htm/video.htm
MDG Issues
Expert Group
Meeting on Urban Indicators - Secure Tenure, Slums and Global Sample of
Cities, October 2002 Nairobi, Kenya
Report was
shared in context of MDG Net discussion on Target 11. Meeting was organized
by UN HABITAT in collaboration with UN DESA to contribute to the development
of indicators for the “Cities without Slums” or “Target 11” of the Millennium
Development Goal 7, “Ensure Environmental Sustainability.” Participants
formulated an operational definition for security of tenure and for slums
and produced a series of sub-indicators to measure security of tenure and
slums as defined, and established composite indices and “meta-indicators.”
Recommendations were also given on ways the UN progress report might specify
a global sample of cities and related methods of data collection and analysis.
Also see the New UN HABITAT Website on MDGs, including an explanation
of UN-HABITAT's Slum Monitoring Strategy : http://www.unhabitat.org/mdg/
Many thanks
to Nefise Bazoglu of UN HABITAT for this contribution. Find Report at the
MDG Net Resource Corner, referenced above.
Informational
Roundup facilitates NGOs' work on the MDGs
The UN Non-Governmental
Liaison Service (UN-NGLS) has just published an informational "Roundup"
to help NGOs and parts of the UN system working with NGOs to move forward
in their work related to the MDGs. It contains information on MDG reporting,
campaigning and research initiatives as well as contact points and web
based links. Kindly forward it to your NGO and civil society partners.
If you would like to receive multiple hard copies of the Roundup, please
be in touch with UN-NGLS in Geneva at ngls@un.org. Many
thanks to WFUNA for this contribution.
Presentation
Materials
Guinea -
Premier Rapport national sur les objectifs du millénaire
Power point
presentation used for Guinea's launch of their MDG Report. French, 18 Slides
Find this
presentation along with a growing collection of MDG related presentation
materials on the MDG Net Resource Corner, referenced above.
Note that
the MDG Report Status Table
on the MDG Net Resource Corner is currently being updated. Soon you will
find more estimated dates of publication along with helpful information
about MDG processes being taken in over 70 countries.
Many thanks
to the UNDP SURFs for organizing these updates. To send an update, write
to mdg-net@groups.undp.org
MDG Happenings & Announcements
Four New
MDG Reports on the web:
1) Kazakhstan
(Russian & English) 2) Egypt (Arabic and English, web version
in English) 3) Madagascar (French) 4) Guinea (French)
Coming soon:
Burundi
and Nicaragua
Kazakhstan's
MDGR was published in December 2002 and is 100 pages long. Nicaragua's
MDGR is currently being printed. Burundi will publish their report shortly
in French and English. For all web published MDGRs visit DevLink [www.undg.org/implementing
the Millennium Declaration] or http://www.undp.org/mdg/.
As we attempt to maintain complete
web collections of published MDGRs, we would greatly appreciate if you
might send electronic versions of your MDGRs as they are published to sarah.renner@undp.org
Barbados
and the OECS MDGR - Message from Rosina Wiltshire,
UN Resident Coordinator in Barbados
"The Barbados based UNCT is in the
process of preparing the MDG Report for the Sub-region with the support
of the University of the West Indies and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean
States. Working in partnership with ten governments, some of which have
very limited capacity continues to be a challenge. We look forward to sharing
our report and important lessons learned in overcoming the challenges."
Many
thanks to Rosina Wiltshire for sharing this announcement with the MDGNet.
PARIS21 Atelier
Dakar invitation partenaires SC - Hôtel
Indépendance, 21-23 January 2003
"PARIS21 is
holding sub-regional workshops world-wide to improve the partnership of
data producers and policymakers so as to increase the availability of statistics
for results-based management. Three PARIS21 workshops are being
planned for the countries of Central and Western Africa. The PARIS21
Secretariat is organising the workshops in partnership with the national
authorities of Cameroon, Senegal, and Nigeria; the sub-regional organisations
of ECOWAS; CEMAC; Afristat; and in collaboration with other development
partners. The first workshop was held in Yaoundé for Central African
countries. West African countries are to be divided into two groups with
the first part of the workshop being held in Dakar and the second in Abuja.
The Dakar workshop will take place at Hôtel Indépendance from
21st to 23nd January."
Click HERE
for an invitation letter with a draft agenda, a general presentation, and
two sets of guidelines for those making presentations.
Eveline Herfkens
updates MDG Net on the MDG Campaign
Returning from
her Europe tour, first of many listening tours, Mme. Herfkens shared the
following with the MDGNet: "This trip took me to Brussels, Geneva, Berlin,
Paris and the Hague where I met with parliamentarians, development ministers,
religious leaders, civil society, UN officials, trade unions, and research
institutions. The great news is that the MDGs are already serving as a
framework for many initiatives around the globe. From the World Council
of Churches announcing ten targets for churches to achieve the goals, to
the pending release of a Coherency Index for OECD countries and to the
creation of parliamentary handbooks on MDGs. And this is all in addition
to the MDG activities taking place on a national level and often driven
by the UNDG Country Teams. There is no technical reason barring us from
achieving the goals but rather it is a question of creating the political
will and budgetary priorities. Therefore, I am convinced that building
on the deals made in Monterrey and Doha, the campaign must concentrate
on Goal 8 in the OECD countries and on the first seven goals in the South
by sending a clear message, country by country, to governments that the
MDGs reflect the aspirations of the voters." While
thanking Mme Herfkens for her contribution, we invite you to read the full
text in the MDGNet
Archives.
UN
Creates World Solidarity Fund
The 57th U.N.
General Assembly passed a resolution creating a World Solidarity Fund,
as recommended by the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.
The fund is modeled after the Tunisian National Solidarity Fund, set up
by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, and it will be set up as UNDP Trust
Fund. UNDP Administrator Mark Malloch Brown called the fund "an innovative
mechanism that will support national development efforts with the energy
of community-based organizations, the commitment of individuals and the
vibrancy of the private sector" . He went on to say, "We ... look forward
... to making full use of this instrument of world solidarity as we move
to implement the Millennium Development Goals, especially the overarching
goal of halving poverty by 2015," Many
thanks to WFUNA for this contribution.
WFUNA to
Begin Monthly Meetings on Campaign for MDGs
Following WFUNA's 20 November discussion
on the role of civil society in implementing the Millennium Declaration,
many civil society representatives expressed an interest in having follow-up
discussions on the implementation of the MDGs. Beginning in January, WFUNA
is convening monthly meetings for interested organizations on the Global
Millennium Campaign. The first meeting is planned for Thursday 30 January.
For more information, please contact Stephanie Rossi at rossi@wfuna.org.
Computer
model Threshold 21 (T21)
"In Ghana, we are using T21 as a
tool for PRSP process. T21 is a tool that enables participatory discussion,
is holistic in that it includes economic, social, and environment/ resources
sectors, and T21 is transparent in its logic and structure." For
a short overview of T21, see: http://www.threshold21.com/overview.htm
For further information on T21, see:
www.threshold21.com
To see the
story of work in Malawi, see: http://www.threshold21.com/Applications/MalawiSuccess.htm
Many thanks
to Vivien Ponniah of UNFPA for this contribution.
International
AIDS Economics Network Global Dialogue Series - Interview
with Josh Ruxin, HIV/AIDS coordinator for the UN Millennium Project
Each Global
Dialogue will involve an interview with an official from the leading policymaking
organizations (Global Fund, UN, WHO, World Bank), followed by the opportunity
to post follow-up questions and comments that will be addressed by the
interviewee. The goals of the Series are to provide timely information
and to facilitate better communication between policymakers making funding
decisions and those officials implementing programs worldwide. The first
Global Dialogue, held recently was an interview with Josh Ruxin, HIV/AIDS
coordinator for the UN Millennium Project. To read interview and contribute
comments or questions go to link above.
UN Deputy
Secretary-General Outlines 'Dominant
Concepts' in Development Policy at Interaction CEO Retreat
Click on title to find the speech
by Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette to InterAction's Annual
CEO Retreat, Washington, D.C., 9 December, where she outlines four "dominant
concepts" in development policy including MDGs, Coherence, Country ownership,
Partnerships.
UN MEETING
ADOPTS ACTION PLAN ON POPULATION AND POVERTY FOR ASIA- PACIFIC REGION
- UN News - New York, Dec 17 2002
The Fifth Asian
and Pacific Population Conference concluded by agreeing to a 22-page Plan
of Action, which makes strategic recommendations in 12 areas of
poverty reduction,
including population, sustainable development and poverty, international
migration and internal migration and urbanization. The agenda was designated
as a key contributor to meeting the UN Millennium Development Goal of halving
the number of the world's poorest people. Click HERE
for more information.
Hypocrisy
that underlies HIPC by Charlotte Denny -
6 January 2003 The Guardian
Instead of
the narrow financial criteria, she argues that creditors should base efforts
to meet the millennium development goals at the heart of their assessment
of how much debt these countries can repay. The goals, which include
halving the proportion of people living in absolute poverty, reducing maternal
and infant mortality and getting every child into school, are supposed
to be reached by 2015, but the UN has warned that most African countries
are off track.
See also
News on the Jubilee 2000 website,
including "Jubilee 200 Director in debate with Fund, Paris Club and private
sector" and "Creditors Failing the World's Poor"
Building
Momentum for Millennium Challenge Account: InterAction Campaign
InterAction
commends the US President for increasing development assistance overseas
by $5 billion per year over current levels by 2006 but envisions assistance
for a limited number of countries that qualify under the performance criteria
set forth by the US President. It predicts that left out will be the basic
needs of millions of poor people in non qualifying countries and the burgeoning
humanitarian crises that threatens to destabilize entire countries and
regions.
Contribution
of MDG processes to Peace Building - the case of Somalia
By Susan Kavanagh, DRR, Mr. K.N.S.
Nair, MDG Focal Point, and Mr. Abdullahi Sheikh Ali
Operationalising MDG presents a complex challenge for Somalia in the absence of a functioning national government. While the IGAD-supported Somalia political reconciliation conference has been taking place in Eldoret (Kenya), a group of technical staff from different administrations in Somalia got together (rising above their political differences), with technical suppport from the UNDP CO, to discuss MDG with a view to formulating a plan to raise awareness among the respective administrations and public on MDG, and to prepare the first MDG report. The technical staff of different administrations in Somalia function as independent entities and come together under a common cause such as MDG. This is seen as a significant step towards peace building, economic recovery and rehabilitation. The UNDG is also behind the efforts to operationalise MDG in Somalia.
Since awareness campaigns for Somalia could not be launched nationally for obvious reasons, they are taking place at regional levels with the active participation of regional administrations, women and youth organizations, local NGOs, media, private sector and other development partners. A well-known poet played a prominent role in Northwest Somalia (Somaliland) where the campaign just concluded. The local press, radio and t.v. covered the campaign. As a result of the MDG campaigns, and at the request of the Northwest (Somaliland) administration, a workshop is being organized for the Directors-General of various ministries to support them in establishing benchmarks, estimate the respective costs and to incorporate them in the sectoral plans and development programmes for 2003 and beyond. This will necessitate a reprioritization of the development budgets, even if they are quite small.
Send your
"County Team Action" story to mdg-net@groups.undp.org
A warm welcome to:
Abdoulie Sireh-Jallow, UNDP Zambia
Adwoa Sey, UNSSC Rome
Aissatou Diallo, UNDP Guinea
Andre Rodrigues de Aquino, UNDP Cape
Verde
Andrea Davis, UNDP NY
Andrew Russell, UNDP NY
Anni Koci, UNDP Albania
Bethany Donithorn, UNDP NY
Christian Akplogan, UNDP Burkina
Faso
Christophe Yvetot, IAEA Austria
Dono Abdurazakova, UNDP Bratislava
Eldisa Lloshi , UNDP Albania
Fred Kirungi, UNDP Uganda
Fredrik Svensson, UNDP Cuba
George Ritter, UNICEF NY
Guido Schmidt-Traub, The UN Millennium
Project
Hanne Bjoertomt
Haishan Fu, HDRO/UNDP NY
Jeanne Damlamian, UNESCO Paris
John McArthur, The UN Millennium
Project
Kari Blindheim, UNDP NY
Lorraine Corner, UNIFEM Thailand
Marcelino Batista Sanca
Margaret Kruk, The UN Millennium
Project
Micheline Ravololonarisoa, UNIFEM
Senegal
Muhamady Kandey, UNDP Guinea
Nguyen Thi Thanh Van, UNDP Viet Nam
Ol Putheavy, UNDP Cambodia
Parvathy Ramaswami, WFP Rome
Prof. Eng. A.M.H.Kango, Kashmir Institute
of National Development
Rosita Serrano, UNDP Philippines
Shahin Panaho, UNDP Azerbaijan
Simone Galimberti, UNDP Samoa
Stephanie Donley, WFP Rome
Tetsuo Kondo, UNDP, NY
Udo Etukudo, UNDP Zimbabwe
Ulrik Westman, UN HABITAT Kenya
Yukiko Fujisawa, UNDP East Timor
Zahra Bolouri, UNDP East Timor
Ali ISSIMAIL, Union des Comores
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