The ‘Citizens’ Report on the MDGs’ was released today at the UNDP Hall, New Delhi among representatives of civil society and the UN. Mani Shankar Aiyar, Union Minister for Panchayati Raj & Youth Affairs and Salil Shetty (Global Director of the UN Millennium Campaign – New York) spoke about the importance of the report.
The India Citizens’ Report on the MDGs has been published by Wada Na Todo Abhiyan , which is a network of over 3000 development organizations across 23 states working to hold the government accountable to meet the MDGs and National Development Goals. The report provides an overview on the achievement of the MDGs in India, as well as focused reviews from the lens of socially disadvantaged groups such as Dalits, Denotified Tribes and Muslim Minorities; and across 10 states, namely Orissa, West Bengal, Himachal, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
Salil Shetty said, “India’s progress on critical indicators such as Maternal & Infant Mortality, Food Security, School Enrollment and Retention, and Universal Access to Water & Sanitation will determine if the world as a whole will achieve the MDGs. Today the country has all the resources required to end extreme poverty and social exclusion. The people of India must act together to ensure that the political will to put these resources to action is also harnessed.”
“This report is the result of a concerted effort across civil society groups to track India’s progress on the MDGs. We are aggrieved to find that despite being on the fast track to economic progress, India still accounts for the highest number of maternal deaths in the world. India has a Maternal Mortality Rate of 301 deaths per 100,000 live births, against an average of 20 deaths in developed countries. Yet India spends under 1% of its GDP on public expenditure for Health – less than even countries like Sri Lanka and Sierra Leone,” said Jagadananda (Convenor, Wada Na Todo Abhiyan).
The report provides an overview on the achievement of the MDGs in India, as well as focused reviews from the lens of socially disadvantaged groups such as Dalits, Denotified Tribes and Muslim Minorities; and across 10 states, namely Orissa, West Bengal, Himachal, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
Wada Na Todo Abhiyan, which is a network of over 3000 development organizations across 23 states working to hold the government accountable to meet the MDGs and National Development Goals.
2007 marks the half-way point in the time period for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, popularly known as the MDGs. This is a crucial time to re-evaluate development policies and strategies necessary to fulfill the aspirations and vision of Millennium Declaration (2000) which reflects the promise of the international community to work together for a more peaceful and just world.
India’s progress on the MDGs will determine if the world as a whole will be able to meet some of its most critical targets, particularly in relation to hunger, Infant Mortality Rates, Maternal Mortality Rates, School Enrollment and Retention, as well as Universal Access to Water and Sanitation.
In partnership with a range of non-state actors including the Wada Na Todo Abhiyan (Keep Your Promises Campaign), the United Nations Millennium Campaign has worked to increase public awareness of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to inspire citizens to hold their governments to account, through campaign and policy advocacy work towards the achievement of MDGs.
This report is primarily a summary compilation of 13 reports that were prepared and released on 7.7.7 to measure the status of the MDGs in relation to states as well as marginalized groups, and also includes a National Checklist on the MDGs.
As a result of this collaboration Citizens’ Reports on the MDGs were released across countries like Philippines, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India during the midpoint review of the MDGs in July 2007. These reports demonstrate the stand-point of civil society and the priority areas where people have called on their governments to act.
Throughout the Asia region, countries have made some significant progress towards achieving the MDGs. However, issues of growing inequality, social exclusion and discrimination, particularly of the traditionally marginalized and disadvantaged groups — specifically women — remain and continue to hamper economic and social development.
In South Asia and Southeast Asia, the mid-term review events held on 7 July 2007 (7.7.7) highlighted important political messages on the issues of social exclusion, gender inequality and widening disparity, which are embedded in the social hierarchical structure in many Asian countries. The 7.7.7 events held in developed countries in Asia drew public attention to fair trade, resolution on unsustainable debt as well as major increases in the quantity and quality of aid, particularly regarding aid harmonization and effectiveness on the part of donors.
Wada Na Todo Abhiyan has made an important contribution by actively linking the Millennium Development Goals with the objectives set out in National Development Goals and ‘promises’ made in the National Common Minimum Program. This has enabled the grounding of the MDGs in the context of local policies and programs in India, and the development of strategic campaigning and advocacy initiatives such the ‘Nine Is Mine’ (9% GDP for public expenditure on Health & Education) campaign and the Civil Society Report Card on the National Common Minimum Program. The core issue of governance accountability as a foundation for sustainable achievement of all MDGs is a major focus of WNTA in India.
Minar Pimple is Director of the UN Millennium Campaign Asia