At the turn of the 21st century, the UN member states have agreed on eight Millennium Goals to be reached before 2015. International Development Week begins in a few days and half the time allocated to reach these goals is already behind us; how far have we come? Certainly not far enough, according to experts. The works carries on, however, and NGOs ask for everyone’s collaboration.

Last year, the Interpretation and Expertise Center for International Development revealed that only 16% of Québécois had heard about the UN’s Millennium Development Goals. The countries’ commitment, however, dates back to 2000.

The eight goals are as follows: (1) Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; (2) Achieve universal primary education; (3) Promote gender equality and empower women; (4) Reduce child mortality; (5) Improve maternal health; (6) Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; (7) Ensure environmental sustainability; (8) Develop a global partnership for development.

Niger schoolchildren eat lunch in their classroom. Photo : Oxfam-Québec

Interlinked Goals
These objectives have been clearly separated, but in practice they are intertwined. “Take for example the goal aiming to ensure universal primary education. In many African countries, it is believed that educating girls is not important. We must thus work to promote gender equality in order to attain universal primary school access. The sustainable development goal includes access to sanitation services, to sewage systems and toilets. We also know that schools with toilet facilities will be attended by more girls, since going to the fields to urinate is an important source of stress for them, which can lead to their refusing to attend classes," explains Christine Laliberté, assistant director of Québec programs at Oxfam-Québec.

Other links are quite obvious between various goals, such as the links between ensuring a sustainable environment and fighting HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. “Malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes that proliferate in humid and insalubrious conditions, precisely where sanitation services are insufficient or simply do not exist,” she adds.

There is also a direct link between women's access to education and child health. As Ms. Laliberté explains, an educated mother will be able to read her child’s health report and will be more likely to provide her child with adequate care. The promotion of women's empowerment, allowing them to participate in revenue-generating activities, is also linked to the goal of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger. “Everything is linked!” she says.

Will We Make It?
In the field of international development assistance, promises often turn out to be just talk. This time, is there a chance for these goals, unanimously accepted by UN members, to be reached?

“It will be impossible without colossal efforts from every player. We are halfway through the journey, but the work accomplished is insufficient. Progress has been seen in some countries, but in others the situation has deteriorated”, deplores Ms. Laliberté.

The same discourse is heard from the Center for International Studies and Cooperation (CISC): “If things don’t change, the majority of African countries will not reach the Millennium Goals. There was some progress, in the health sector for example, where the number of deaths at birth has gone down slightly, but any progress remains fragile,” according to Michel Chaurette, general director of CISC.

Reaching the eight goals will largely depend on the political will of northern countries to deliver the promised amounts, but also on the will of the governments in southern countries to target the relevant action priorities.

“Tanzania is a good example in this matter. The government has managed to greatly improve its population’s situation by setting up free schooling. 3.5 million more children attend school throughout the country. It is obviously a matter of priorities, but also a matter of international development assistance, because in order to abolish tuition fees, an African government must have sufficient help from foreign countries and be awarded amounts with a certain constancy. Unfortunately, up until now, many northern countries are not respecting their commitments, are delaying the payment of promised sums or are lowering the sums promised, which is disastrous for countries in need,” explains Christine Laliberté.

Many Ways of Action
The simple citizen can feel impotent in front of the announced initiatives that are more or less respected by rich countries. Anyone can act, however, as is requested in the last Millennium Goal: setting up a global partnership for development. Ms. Laliberté says everyone can contribute in their own way to make these goals a reality: “For a citizen, it can mean volunteering, making a donation, consuming in a responsible way, for example by purchasing fair-trade products”.

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The International Development Week is held February 3-9. Information: www.acdi.gc.ca/sdi

All Québec-based NGOs are taking part in actions aiming, one way or another, for the realization of one of more Millennium Goals. To find out more, visit the “member” section of the Association québécoise des organismes de coopération internationale (AQOCI), at www.aqoci.qc.ca