英语角 第11期

The Millennium Development

Goals are not optional

people often ask me what I consider to be the highlight of my UN career. While there were many wonderful moments, hosting the largest collection of world leaders ever assembled to sign the Millennium Declaration in New York is certainly among the top. Development issues were finally elevated to the highest political level and , for the first time, developing countries were challenged to translate their development vision into nationally owned plans.

There is no doubt that the eight Millennium Development Goals and their framework of accountability have served the world well. They have not only provided a much-needed sense of direction to national plans and international co-operation, they have also delivered measurable results.

However, we are still far from achieving what we set out to do. Too many people remain caught in extreme poverty, too many remain hungry and sick, too many mothers die in childbirth and too many children still do not go to school. We are also not yet doing enough to meet basic needs and fulfill basic rights, to protect the environment, to build effective international partnerships for development, or to harness private entrepreneurship to deliver public goods and services to those in need.

The challenges are still great and the circumstances have not become any easier since the summit in New York. Back then, there was palpable confidence that the world’s problems could be addressed collectively and an open acknowledgement that, in a world of plenty and astounding technological progress, the poverty, hunger and relative depravation that so many of our fellow human beings still faced was intolerable.

That confidence has now faded and the international consensus on development is in danger of crumbling under the weight of successive crises and a changing world order. On the one hand, the appreciation that global problems cannot be solved in one country or continent alone is growing. On the other hand, this is not translated into decisive action and overdue reform of global governance.

Revitalizing the political will to achieve the goals and scaling up proven interventions is the linchpin to success. As instigator and guardian of the development goals, the UN has an important role to play in this process and the High Level Advocacy Group created by secretary general Ban Ki-moon is a welcome step in the right direction. The primary responsibility, however, rests with national leaders.

Their challenge is to re-articulate a compelling case for global solidarity and equitable growth- ine that embraces, but goes beyond, aid. One that addresses the growing inequalities between male and female, rural and urban, rich and poor. One that does not measure development and progress purely in terms of GDP but also of the quality and sustainability of growth. The message must be that achieving the development goals is not optional, but an essential investment in a fairer, safer and more prosperous world. 

Good news and bad news

an artist asked the gallery owner if there had been any interest in his paintings currently on display. “I’ve got good news and bad news,” the owner replied. “The good news is that a gentleman inquired about your work and wondered if it would appreciate in value after your death. When I told him it would, he bought all fifteen of your paintings.”

“That’s wonderful!” the artist exclaimed, “What’s the bad news?”. With concern, the gallery owner replied, “The guy was your doctor.”