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Millennium development goals: Are we on track?
June 20, 2007In April 2007, the General Assembly of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations convened to discuss progress made towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Patrick Webb, PhD, dean for academic affairs at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, presented on the status of the Millennium Development Goal One (MDG1): radically reducing extreme poverty and hunger.
The MDGs were developed at the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000 to set measurable goals and targets for a range of pressing global problems, including poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation and discrimination against women. MDG1 has a twofold objective: reduce the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day, and reduce the proportion of people suffering hunger by half. In order to meet these goals, Webb highlighted recent successes that can guide future efforts.
There are three priority issues to be tackled in seeking to address the second objective (on hunger) - removing the 'invisibility' of hunger by better measuring and highlighting areas making limited progress, promoting innovations in programming, and integrating mainstream lessons from successful action in humanitarian settings (saving lives and reducing acute malnutrition) into development interventions. Development efforts can address these issues by improving protocols and products for treating malnutrition, and preventing malnutrition by enhancing behaviors and choices that lead to improved nutrition throughout the lifecycle.
Poverty and hunger are multidimensional problems requiring multidimensional solutions. To address the multidimensional nature of these problems, the first MDG addresses five distinct goals: reducing poverty, narrowing the poverty gap (between richest and poorest), increasing the share of income enjoyed by the poorest families, reducing the share of preschool children who are underweight, and lowering the share of each country's population that has too little to eat. "Progress in one target area does not guarantee progress in the other areas," says Webb. "Focusing on just one aspect of the problem, or just one of the target risks, is missing the point-and risks compromising the success of the entire agenda."
Speaking on behalf of the three Rome-based agencies of the United Nations (the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)), Webb argued that governments should engage more seriously in measuring their own progress towards agreed goals. Solutions to hunger are known, and novel approaches to the treatment and prevention of malnutrition in emergencies have shown that quick gains are possible. Making such gains sustainable means scaling up innovations across developing country settings, and targeting resources towards such key priorities.
This meeting of Member States, UN System Organizations, other major institutional stakeholders, as well as non-governmental organizations, academics and foundations concentrated on the theme "Eradicating poverty and hunger - Joining forces to make it happen." The conference explored the issues and set the groundwork for the ECOSOC's first Annual Ministerial Review (AMR) this summer in Switzerland. Webb concluded by stating that "-in order to successfully impact malnutrition it takes complementary inputs delivered through complementary partnerships. It is not only about food, and it is not only about cash in the pocket. Many different elements are needed to achieve the five goals, and many institutions have to bring their resources to bear. In order to tackle the problem it is not possible to focus on just agriculture or just health; in order to be successful the many facets of the problem must all be addressed."
Webb will continue to work with the many stakeholders involved in assessing progress and further advancing the important human goals that are the MDGs.
Tufts University, Health Sciences
Poverty and hunger are multidimensional problems requiring multidimensional solutions. To address the multidimensional nature of these problems, the first MDG addresses five distinct goals: reducing poverty, narrowing the poverty gap (between richest and poorest), increasing the share of income enjoyed by the poorest families, reducing the share of preschool children who are underweight, and lowering the share of each country's population that has too little to eat. "Progress in one target area does not guarantee progress in the other areas," says Webb. "Focusing on just one aspect of the problem, or just one of the target risks, is missing the point-and risks compromising the success of the entire agenda."
Speaking on behalf of the three Rome-based agencies of the United Nations (the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)), Webb argued that governments should engage more seriously in measuring their own progress towards agreed goals. Solutions to hunger are known, and novel approaches to the treatment and prevention of malnutrition in emergencies have shown that quick gains are possible. Making such gains sustainable means scaling up innovations across developing country settings, and targeting resources towards such key priorities.
This meeting of Member States, UN System Organizations, other major institutional stakeholders, as well as non-governmental organizations, academics and foundations concentrated on the theme "Eradicating poverty and hunger - Joining forces to make it happen." The conference explored the issues and set the groundwork for the ECOSOC's first Annual Ministerial Review (AMR) this summer in Switzerland. Webb concluded by stating that "-in order to successfully impact malnutrition it takes complementary inputs delivered through complementary partnerships. It is not only about food, and it is not only about cash in the pocket. Many different elements are needed to achieve the five goals, and many institutions have to bring their resources to bear. In order to tackle the problem it is not possible to focus on just agriculture or just health; in order to be successful the many facets of the problem must all be addressed."
Webb will continue to work with the many stakeholders involved in assessing progress and further advancing the important human goals that are the MDGs.
Tufts University, Health Sciences
Millennium Development Current Events and Millennium Development News RSSTEEB report released on the economics of ecosystems and biodiversity for policy makers
Policy makers who factor the planet's multi-trillion dollar ecosystem services into their national and international investment strategies are likely to see far higher rates of return and stronger economic growth in the 21st century.
What are coral reef services worth? $130,000 to $1.2 million per hectare, per year: experts
Experts concluding the global DIVERSITAS biodiversity conference today in Cape Town described preliminary research revealing jaw-dropping dollar values of the "ecosystem services" of biomes like forests and coral reefs - including food, pollution treatment and climate regulation.
World will miss 2010 target to stem biodiversity loss, experts say
The world will miss its agreed target to stem biodiversity loss by next year, according to experts convening in Cape Town for a landmark conference devoted to biodiversity science.
Global death toll: 1 million premature babies every year
More than one million infants die each year because they are born too early, according to the just released White Paper, The Global and Regional Toll of Preterm Birth.
New WHO data underscores global threat of the world's leading child killer
New World Health Organization data to be published in this week's edition of the Lancet will shed new light on two leading causes of pneumonia, the world's leading killer of children under age 5, both globally and within specific countries.
Agricultural research key to food security
Boosting agricultural research in the developing world is the key to ensuring food security for the world's poorest, says Adel el-Beltagy, Chair of the Global Form on Agricultural Research (GFAR), writing in the latest issue of the TWAS Newsletter, published last week.
Preventing spread of infectious diseases is everyone's responsibility
According to a report published today, we must all share responsibility for preventing the spread of diseases such as swine flu, SARS, avian influenza, diarrhoeal and skin diseases, and even the common cold.
Cost-Effective Measures Could Stop Child Pneumonia Deaths
Implementing measures to improve nutrition, indoor air pollution, immunization coverage and the management of pneumonia cases could be cost-effective and significantly reduce child mortality from pneumonia.
President of IDF calls for government focus and spending on diabetes and other NCDs
The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) today announced that its President, Professor Martin Silink has called on governments worldwide to recognize the severe impact of diabetes and other non-communicable diseases and take immediate action to ameliorate the threat.
World first initiative improves global mental health
An international observatory led by the University of Melbourne, Australia, will help eradicate human rights abuses against people suffering mental illness in developing countries.
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