WELL BRIEFING NOTE 8
The
Millennium Development Goals
Why
they matter to local government
Compiled
by: Sue Coates and Andrew Cotton of WEDC,
2004
What
are the Millennium Development Goals?
In
September 2000, the United Nations Millennium Summit
agreed eight time-bound and measurable goals aimed
at combating rural and urban poverty, hunger,
illiteracy, environmental degradation and
discrimination against women. Many of the
targets within the goals are set for 2015.
Why do they
matter?
-
At
all levels the MDGs have the potential to help
concerned people, governments and donors to
agree priorities, set targets, allocate
resources and monitor progress.
-
Globally
they provide a framework for the UN member
states to declare statements of intent and work
coherently towards a common end.
-
Nationally
and at local government level they provide a
basis for different sectors to set priorities,
advocate for greater knowledge and external
financing, and make links to the country's
poverty reduction strategy.
-
A
poverty reduction strategy is a national plan
that directs resource allocation and service
provision to alleviate poverty.
Governments through a participatory process
involve civil society and development partners
to prepare these strategies, that for many
countries but not all, reflect the MDG
targets. The strategy describes not only
the big picture (macroeconomic, structural and
social policies and programs) but also points to
what must be done at sub-national level to
promote growth and tackle poverty.
-
Local
government is also concerned with poverty
reduction and economic regeneration and has its
own plans. Using the MDGs is a good way to
link local development plans to national and
international strategies. This helps to
secure funds, attract external interest and
promote integrated management of urban and rural
services. With limited local resources the
MDGs provide the justification for targeting the
poor and marginalized.
Local
Actions for Global Goals
Different
ministries and departments of local government will
have to work together if the MDGs and national
targets are to be met. Health must work with
education, education with local government and so
on. Local government is also well placed to
monitor progress which will assist local planning
and inform national government. The MDGs provide a
framework for this to happen. For example the
district water and sanitation office can contribute
in the following ways to different goals.
|
Working
with Health on water related diseases
(Goal 6) the district water engineer can
provide technical expertise on water storage
and drainage to mitigate against
malaria. This is important because the
burden of disease slows down the economic
growth that is presumed to solve local health
problems. |
Working
with Education on the provision of basic
sanitation facilities and water supply in
schools will help to boost school attendance,
particularly for girls (Goal 2 and 3). This is
important because education is a human right
and one of the most effective routes out of
poverty. |
|
Working
with Local Government & Housing on
extending water supply to slum areas will cut
the costs (time and money) that these
households pay for water, so leaving more time
for income generation (Goal 1). This is
important because 800 million people are
expected to migrate to urban areas of the
developing world over the next 15 years. |
Working
with community development to get more
women involved in local decision making, for
example through village water and sanitation
committees. This can help all the goals
because women disproportionately suffer the
burden of poverty, childcare, poor education
and diseases. |
In
Pakistan the government is committed to the MDGs
and is reflecting these in its national poverty
reduction strategy. The 2001 Local
Government Ordinance underpins the government's
devolution policy that gives responsibility for
drinking water and sanitation to sub-district
and local (union) councils. Each province will
prepare its own poverty reduction strategy to
reflect the MDG targets and influence the
resources which local government receives.
Find
Out More
WELL
has produced a series of Briefing Notes to help
you. These include:
-
The
Poverty Millennium Development Goal:
What water, sanitation and hygiene can do
-
The
Education Millennium Development
Goal: What water, sanitation and
hygiene can do
-
The
Child Health Millennium Development
Goal: What water, sanitation and
hygiene can do
-
The
Gender Millennium Development Goal:
What water, sanitation and hygiene can do
-
The
HIV/AIDS Millennium Development
Goal: What water, sanitation and
hygiene can do
-
The
Environmental Sustainability Millennium
Development Goal: What water,
sanitation and hygiene can do
-
Water
Supply and Sanitation Sector
Monitoring: A new decade to
measure
For
further information contact:
WELL Water,
Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC) Loughborough
University Leicestershire
LE11 3TU UK Email:
well@lboro.ac.uk Phone:
+44 (0)1509 228304 Fax:
+44 (0)1509 223970
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