More than 100 delegates from seven different South Asian countries meet in Kathmandu, Nepal, for the South Asia MDG Forum (11 - 12 October), to discuss how South Asia can put an end to development problems and work towards meeting the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). At the close of the Forum an Action Plan for South Asia to meet the MDG targets by the 2015 deadline was adopted. The Action Plan identifies key actions by governments, donors and other stakeholders within the next two to five years to meet the eight goals that focus on poverty reduction, health, education and the environment. The recommendations include: - increased investments in rural infrastructure,
- increased public investments in providing safe drinking water and improved sanitation,
- compulsory and free education up to secondary level,
- targeted interventions to reduce malnutrition and child and maternal mortality,
- legal protection against gender discrimination,
- inclusion of socially vulnerable groups in the development process through affirmative actions, and
- strengthening sub-regional cooperation for free-flow of life-saving drugs and medicines, facilitating inter-country migration, and creating a disaster management fund.
During the two-day Forum the participants, which included high-ranking government Ministers, policy makers, representatives of civil society, business leaders, academics and the media, called for strengthened and ongoing partnerships between the media, civil society groups and governments to reach these targets. They expressed deep concern at the widespread poverty and hunger that continued to hold back progress in South Asia. The meeting was organised under the auspices of the tripartite initiative between the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia- Pacific (UNESCAP), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). In 2005 this tripartite initiative was created to analyse trends in MDG achievement across the Asia and Pacific region, and explore policy options at both regional and national levels to reach them by 2015. It led to the production of the second regional MDG Report 'A Future Within Reach'. The report revealed that the Asia and the Pacific region, on the world's most dynamic regions, had mad significant progress towards achieving the MDGs. It showed that while wide disparities existed between and within countries, none of the developing countries examined were on track to meet all the MDG targets by 2015. One of the key messages of the Report was that poor and inadequate service delivery systems and institutions were a major obstacle in achieving the goals. The South Asia MDG Forum, was the first of a number of sub regional MDG Forums which will be held in the Asia and Pacific region. A Forum for South East Asia, Central Asia and the Pacific are currently being scheduled to occur in the next 6 months. These Forums form an integral part of the communication and advocacy strategy to disseminate the key findings and messages of the second regional MDG Report 'A Future Within Reach'. The Forum also intends to impart knowledge, skills and information to selected stakeholders in advocating policy action and in addressing the key messages contained in the Report at the country and sub-regional levels. As part of the Forum, the MDG Media Awards were launched. Open to broadcast producers and journalists in print, radio and television media in the Asia-Pacific region, the Awards carry a US$7,000 winning prize and US$2,000 runners-up prize. The Awards aim to recognize the important role that the media play in creating public awareness of the MDGs and encourage increased reporting on the 'human' story behind the MDGs. Press Releases Related Documents |