Archive of MDG News and Events in 2004 - 2006

This is an archive of MDG News and Events in 2004 - 2006.

The Millennium Development Goals Report 2006

A new MDG Report 2006 was recently released. The Report is based on a master set of data compiled by an Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Millennium Development Goals Indicators led by the UN Secretariat's Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The report presents the latest assessment on how far Member States have come, and how far they have to go in reaching the MDGs, in each of the world's regions. The Progress Chart 2006 is also available on the website.

Visit the official United Nations site for the MDGs Indicators to download the report.

 

MDG Exhibition at the 2006 High-level Segment of ECOSOC

3-5 July 2006
Geneva, Switzerland.

The 2006 World Summit put the goals of full employment and decent work firmly back into the United Nations development agenda. It demonstrated that there is a solid consensus that in order to achieve the internationally agreed development goals, including the MDGs, employment and decent work need to be at the centre of economic and social policies.

This year's high-level segment again attracted many high-level participants. The High-level Segment included high-level roundtable discussions and breakfast meetings, which were organized from the 3-5 July 2006. In addition, the Council held two informal ministerial roundtables on the annual ministerial review and the biennial High-Level Development Cooperation Forum respectively. The Annual Ministerial Review (AMR) assessed progress in the implementation of the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The MDG exhibition was held during the event. The purpose of the exhibition was to advocate and communicate the key findings of the second Regional MDG Report to the high-level delegates/policy-makers of the ECOSOC Annual Ministerial Review Roundtable.

 

Useful Links

 

 

 

Pictures of the MDG Exhibition

 

Asia Media Summit 2006

29-31 May 2006
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

 

 

The AMS 2006 was held at the end of May in the Malaysian capital, brought together nearly 400 movers and shakers of the mainstream broadcast media in Asia - home to the world's largest TV and radio audiences. Primarily an industry gathering, it also attracted development agencies trying to 'hitch a ride' on the airwaves to get across their public interest messages.

AIBD in collaboration with its partners and international organizations is organizing the Asia Media Summit (AMS). The conference provides a unique opportunity for broadcasters in the region to share their thoughts on Broadcasting and Information.

Decision makers, media professionals, scholars, and stakeholders of news and programming from Asia, Pacific, Africa, Europe, Middle East and North America attended this annual conference. Almost all regional and International Broadcasting Unions and Associations support the AMS. Among the list of sponsors are Friederich Ebert Foundation (FES), Malaysian Airlines, Radio Television Malaysia (RTM), France, the United Nations, UNDP, UNESCO, ITU, UN-ESCAP, UNICEF and other partners.

 

Related Documents


Useful Links


Pictures of MDG Exhibition at the Asian Media Summit 2006

 

Moving Forward Together to Achieve the MDGs in Asia-Pacific

6 April 2006

 


 

Background

The Special Event aimed at discussing the roadmap for MDG achievement and at promoting new ideas to strengthen regional cooperation on MDG-related issues. It reviewed recent regional initiatives on achieving the MDGs in the UNESCAP region, including: (1) the Jakarta Declaration on MDGs in Asia and the Pacific: the Way Forward 2015; (2) findings of the joint UNESCAP/UNDP/ADB second Regional MDG Report on Asia-Pacific entitled "A future within reach: reshaping institutions in a region of disparities to meet the Millennium Development Goals in Asia and the Pacific"; and (3) the outcome of the Asia 2015 Conference held in London, in March 2006. The Event was organized as part of the advocacy and communication strategy of the UNESCAP/UNDP/ADB regional project on "Supporting the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in Asia and the Pacific, Phase 2".

Presentations

  • Welcoming remarks by H.E. Mr. Hassan Wirajuda, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Government of Indonesia.
  • Presentation entitled "Moving forward together to reach the MDGs in Asia-Pacific" by Mr. Kim Hak-Su, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary, UNESCAP.
  • MDG film presentation "A future within reach: Reshaping institutions in a region of disparities to meet the Millennium Development Goals in Asia and the Pacific.
  • Discussion on the roadmap for MDG achievement in Asia-Pacific (chaired by the Executive Secretary of UNESCAP). Speakers included:
    • H.E. Mr. Shahed Akhtar, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh
    • H.E. Ms. Erna Witoelar, UN Special Ambassador for MDGs in Asia-Pacific
    • Mr. David Lockwood, UNDP Deputy Director, Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific
    • Mr. Jeremy Clark, Head, Asia Directorate, Department for International Development (DFID), UK
    • Ms. Dian Kartika Sari, Acting Director, International NGO Forum for Indonesian Development

  • Concluding remark by His Excellency Mr. Yusuf Supiandi, Deputy Minister for Civil Society Institution, Ministry of Women Empowerment, Government of Indonesia.

 

Participants

Some 200 participants from governments, the private sector, civil society and international organizations.

 

Key Conclusions

  • The key to success in achieving the MDGs is to form productive partnerships between governments and MDG stakeholders (development agencies, civil society organizations, private sector), at all levels. The main motive for such partnerships should be to narrow the development gap and economic disparities within and between countries.

  • In particular, regional institutions such as ADB, ASEAN, PIF, SAARC and UNESCAP should enhance cooperation by devising and implementing a common plan for achieving the MDGs.

  • UNESCAP plays an important role in fostering regional partnerships and launching new initiatives for achieving the MDGs. UNESCAP's partnership with UNDP and ADB in supporting MDG achievement in the region has produced two regional MDG reports and provided a regional framework for advocating MDG achievements to governments, civil society organizations and the private sector.

  • A regional roadmap for achieving the MDGs should propose measures to address resource gaps, encourage more collaboration, and advocate a more favorable treatment in WTO agreements and in other international trade fora.

  • It is also important for UNESCAP to define the parameters of civil societies' involvement in the overall MDG efforts so as to enlist their commitment.

  • Regional assessment reports on MDG progress often fail to recognize vulnerable groups such as children, the disabled, the elderly, women, indigenous communities and other marginalized groups. Civil society groups could play a role in monitoring progress on the MDGs within these groups.

  • Compared with other regions, Asia-Pacific is receiving a proportionately lower amount of development aid. Asia-Pacific accounted for only one third of total aid in 2004 despite having two thirds of the world's poor.

  • Suggestions to generate more resources for development through enhanced regional cooperation included: (1) expanding trade and increasing foreign direct investment, (2) increasing intra-regional ODA, and (3) regularising labour migration.

  • With regard to ODA, there is a need to ensure that aid flows on a "front-load" basis, not on a piece-meal basis. This is particularly important for Asia-Pacific LDCs, which have a good record of debt management and repayment.

  • DFID is increasing its bilateral assistance to Asia by approximately 25 per cent from 2004 to 2008. That trend would continue thereafter as the United Kingdom moves progressively towards achieving the target of 0.7 per cent of GNI by 2013.

  • For MDG progress, generating financial resources for development, although necessary, is not enough. Countries need to change how they do things. They have to strengthen institutional capacities, which will require paying closer attention to the quality of governance - openness, transparency and determination to address corruption.

  • While global and regional reports and meetings on MDGs provided useful guidelines for achieving the MDGs, countries need to develop appropriate roadmaps suitable to local needs and conditions.

  • UNDP's Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific has set up a regional programme to support countries in the preparation of their MDG-based national development strategies. Cambodia, Lao PDR, Mongolia and Pakistan were the four pilot countries in 2006 and six more Asian countries will participate in the programme in 2007.

  • There is a need to establish a mechanism for periodic reviews of progress made towards improving policy coordination at all levels.

 

Pictures of MDG Exhibition at the 62nd Commission Session

 

ASIA 2015 - Promoting Growth, Ending Poverty

6-7 March 2006
Lancaster House, London, UK.

Asia 2015 is a major two-day conference to be hosted by DFID and co-sponsors the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. It will involve around 150 delegates, mainly from Asia.

The conference aims to achieve the following:

  • To highlight and celebrate the success of Asia in reducing poverty and promoting development, to share knowledge and spread the gains of development.
  • To identify the key challenges facing countries in Asia for sustaining growth and development in the future.
  • To build partnerships and an international consensus on priorities for action to meet these challenges and achieve the Millennium Development Goals in Asia.

 

Related Documents

 

Useful Links



 

UN Report: Asia Needs, Deserves More Aid

6 March 2006

Bangkok (United Nations Information Services) -- A new report from the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, UNESCAP paints a sad picture of how Asia has been overlooked by aid donors. Asia has received far less aid than other regions of the world. This is true in comparison to the size of the population, the level of income and the number of poor in the region.

The report "Achieving the MDGs in Asia: a Case for More Aid? " was released at the "Asia 2015 Conference Promoting Growth, Ending Poverty " in London on 6-7 March 2006. The report's findings,supported by funding from the Asian Development Bank, was presented to the high-level delegates today by UNESCAP Executive Secretary Mr Kim Hak-Su.

The UNESCAP report found Asia accounts for the lion's share of people living in rural areas without access to sanitation, underweight children, malnourished people, people on living less than a dollar a day, and TB cases in the world.

Three quarters of all Asians in rural areas without access to sanitation live in China and India.

In absolute terms, India is home to 38 per cent of the world total of underweight children below the age of 5, more than one and a half times the whole of Sub-Saharan Africa. India also has more than double the amount of illiterate 15-24 year old women than in any other sub region of the world, including sub Saharan Africa.

"The number of people in Asia living with HIV/AIDS — 7.6 million between the ages 15 and 49, of which 5.1 million in India alone, compared to 23.8 million in Sub-Saharan Africa — is, however, far from insignificant. HIV/AIDS is also rapidly spreading in some parts of Asia, in particular the CIS countries and India. Asia as a whole accounts for more than two thirds of the world’s TB cases and deaths," the report stated.

India, the sub region with the largest number of poor, underweight children, malnourished people and rural people without access to sanitation, received just about a dollar per head of ODA in 2004. China received a similar amount. These amounts are in complete contrast with those received by Oceania (US$ 190 per head) and the European countries in transition (US$ 87 per head), two regions whose shares in the world population are negligible and the contributions to the number of the world’s economically and socially poor are relatively small.

The report analyses aid to sub regions in the world on a needs basis calculated on percentage share of underweight children and other MDG indicators, finding that Asia is being ignored in favour of Africa. It says most sub regions in Asia are receiving relatively "small shares of the global aid total" and proves this is unfair.

The share of ODA in Gross National Income (GNI) is substantial for Sub-Saharan Africa (4.0 per cent) in contrast, to China and India, which received only around US$ 1 ODA per person, which is a mere 0.1 per cent and 0.2 per cent of their GNI, respectively. In other words, Sub-Saharan Africa gets 40 times more aid than China.

ODA per capita receipts of Sub-Saharan Africa, the CIS countries of Asia, Western Asia and the Caribbean range from US$ 21 to US$ 26. Southern Asia and South-Eastern Asia received — with US$ 11 and US$ 10 per head respectively — also less aid than the number of the economically and socially poor in these regions would justify.

These findings forms the basis of a push from UNESCAP to secure a better deal for Asia at the Asia 2015 conference.

 

A Future Within Reach in the News

A collection of news articles generated by the launch of the Regional MDG II Report.

MDG Forum - United Nations Staff Members as 'MDG Advocates'

Wednesday, 11 January 2006
Conference Room 4, United Nations Conference Centre, Bangkok

 


 

The Forum provided an opportunity for UN staff based in Bangkok to be briefed on the key findings of the joint ESCAP/UNDP/ADB regional MDG report which was recently issued. The Forum aimed to enlist the united efforts of UN staff, as advocates in their respective fields, to promote the achievement of the MDGs in the Asia-Pacific region.

In this important 'make-or-break' year, national efforts will need to be complemented by intensified regional support and cooperation. The Forum discussed a common strategy and key advocacy messages to promote MDG achievement in Asia and the Pacific.

Programme:

 

09:00-09:30 hours

Registration and Coffee

 

09:30-09:50 hours

Presentation of the key finding of the joint ESCAP/UNDP/ADB regional MDG Report titled "A Future Within Reach: Reshaping institutions in a region of disparities to meet the MDGs in Asia and the Pacific"

Mr. Kim Hak-Su, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary, UNESCAP

 

09:50-10:00 hours

Presentation of the MDG Video "A Future within Reach"

 

10:00-11:00 hours

Presentation by UNDP on "The role of UN staff in advocating for MDG-based national development strategies: Endorsement of a common strategy for 'MDG Advocates' in Asia and the Pacific"

Discussion

 

 

Related Documents

  • Power Point Presentation of UN Staff Members as 'MDG Advocates'

 

Pictures of the MDG Forum

Launch of the Regional MDG II Report for Asia and the Pacific

Manila, Philippines, 7 September 2005

A new report assessing the region’s progress to date on reaching the MDGs will be launched at Asian Development Bank (ADB) headquarters in Manila on 7 September by senior officials from UNESCAP, UNDP and ADB.

Kim Hak-Su, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and UNESCAP Executive Secretary, along with Hafiz Pasha, UNDP Assistant Administrator for Asia and the Pacific, and G.H.P.B. van der Linden, ADB Vice-President, will jointly launch the report at a conference and roundtable seminar organized to present and discuss its findings and recommendations.

Entitled A Future Within Reach: Reshaping Institutions in a Region of Disparities to Meet the Millennium Development Goals in Asia and the Pacific, the publication also outlines recommendations for improving success in the 10 years remaining to the 2015 MDG deadline.

The report was commissioned through a tripartite initiative of UNESCAP, UNDP, and ADB and will provide a critical input to September’s High-level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly or 2005 World Summit. UNESCAP will also launch the publication at UN Headquarters in New York on 13 September, before the start of the 60th General Assembly. A Future Within Reach will be available on the UNESCAP website after the launch takes place.

 

 

 

 

Second Advisory Panel Meeting on MDGs in Asia and the Pacific


UNCC, Meeting Room A, Bangkok, 1-2 March 2005

Members of the Advisory Panel on MDGs and project partners examined the progress of the preparation of the second Regional MDG Report and reviewed the draft technical background papers in a two-day meeting held at the United Nations Conference Centre, Bangkok, Thailand from 1 to 2 March 2005.

 

I. Meeting DocumentsDownload
Programme
Provisional list of participants
Opening statement - Mr Kim Hak-Su
Opening statement - G.H.P.B. van der Linden, Vice-President, Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development, Asian Development Bank
Report on the status of project implementation
Synthesis report of national and sub-regional MDG reports

Pacific MDG report
MDG indicators - statistical data issues
Thematic chapter on MDGs and institutional change
Basic services delivery to the poor - some issues on institutional changes
Regional trade indicators for measuring the achievement of the MDGs
Liberalization and trade under Doha Development Agenda
 
Achieving the MDGs - The role of water and sanitation 
Chapter I - Setting the Scene: Understanding the Relationship between Water and Poverty
Chapter III - The role of institutional changes in the water sector for achieving the MDGs in Asia and the Pacific region
 

 

 

Country Consultation on MDGs in Asia and the Pacific

Asian Development Bank, Manila, 23 February 2005

At the opening session, shown from left Mr Bindu Lohani, Director General, Regional and Sustainable Development Department, ADB; Mr Romulo Neri, Secretary, Socio-Economic Planning and Director General, National Economic Development Authority, Government of the Philippines; Mr Raj Kumar, Director, Poverty and Development Division, UNESCAP

 

In collaboration with the Asian Development Bank, a Philippines Country Consultation Meeting on the Millennium Development Goals in Asia and the Pacific was held at the Asian Development Bank Headquarter in Manila, Philippines on 23 February 2005 to review the draft technical background papers of the second regional MDG report and to get feedback on the key messages and issues that the Report will focus on, in particular local institutional changes related to basic services delivery.

 

I. Meeting DocumentsDownload
Report of the meeting
Programme
List of participants
Key messages of the report
State of progress in achieving the MDGs in Asia and the Pacific: Some regional perspective - Syed Nuruzzaman
Assessment of Progress in Attaining the MDGs in Asia and Pacific Countries - Rosario Manasan
2nd Philippine Progress Report on the Millennium Development Goals - Erlinda Capones

Thematic Chapter on MDGs and institutional change - Brham Prakash
Basic services delivery to the poor: an issues paper - Raj Kumar and Edgar Dante
The role of institutional changes in the water sector for achieving the MDGs in Asia and the Pacific region
Summing up
 

 

 

First Advisory Panel Meeting on MDGs in Asia and the Pacific


First Session, Bangkok, 28-29 September 2004

Twelve eminent scholars and experts together with representatives of various UN agencies provided guidance to the project and review the concept note and outline of the second Regional MDG Report and associated technical background papers in a two-day meeting held at the United Nations Conference Centre, Bangkok, Thailand from 28 to 29 September 2004.

 

I. Meeting DocumentsDownload
Concept Paper and Outline of the Second Regional MDG Report
A Background Paper on the Conceptual Framework of the Second Regional MDG Report
Outline of the MDG Technical Background Papers (TBPs)
Tentative Programme and Provisional List of Participants
Provisional list of participants with detailed address and contact numbers
 
II. Opening StatementsDownload
Mr Kim Hak-Su, Under-Secretary-General of the UN and Executive Secretary, UNESCAP
Mr Hafiz Pasha, UN Assistant Secretary-General, UNDP Assistant Administrator & Regional Director, Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific
 
III. Project Overview PresentationsDownload

Overview of the UNESCAP/UNDP project on Supporting the achievement of MDGs in Asia and the Pacific (Phase II)
Raj Kumar, Chief, Poverty and Development Division, UNESCAP and Team Leader, MDG (Phase II) project
Overview of the UNSIAP/UNDP project on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Initiative in Asia and the Pacific (Building Data/Statistical Capability Component
Mr Tomas Africa, Director, United Nations Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific
 
IV. Concept note of the 2nd Regional MDG Report, including dissemination strategy and key issueDownload
Overview of the 2nd Regional MDG Report concept note and dissemination strategy
Mr Raj Kumar, Chief, Poverty and Development Division, UNESCAP and Team Leader, MDG (Phase II) project
Institutional change and MDGs: suggested areas of focus, possible key issues and case studies
Mr Amarakoon Bandara, Economic Affairs Officer, Poverty and Development Division, UNESCAP
 
V. Technical Background Papers (TBPs)Download
Approaches to assessing achievements of MDGs in Asia and the Pacific: methodology, data sources and key issues
Mr Aynul Hasan, Chief, MDG Centre, UNESCAP
PRSPs-role of institutions & MDGs
Mr Aynul Hasan, Chief, MDG Centre, UNESCAP
Institutional change for good governance in support of achieving the MDGs
Mr Yap Kioe Sheng, Chief, Poverty Reduction Section, Poverty and Development Division, UNESCAP
Enabling institutions for promoting and upscaling micro initiatives to achieve the MDGs
Jorge Carillo-Rodriguez, Human Settlements Officer, Poverty Reduction Section, Poverty and Development Division, UNESCAP
Gender and institutional change
Ms Tone Bleie, Chief, Gender and Development Section, Emerging Social Issues Division, UNESCAP
Water, sanitation and health: institutional issues
Mr A.P. Kadushkin, Scientific Affairs Officer, Water Resources Section, Environment and Sustainable Development Division, UNESCAP
Implications of the Doha Development Agenda for the achievement of MDGs in Asia and the Pacific: institutional dimensions
Ms Tiziana Bonapace, Chief, Trade Policy Section, Trade and Investment Division, UNESCAP
 
VI. Closing statementDownload
Mr Kim Hak-Su, Under-Secretary-General of the UN and Executive Secretary, UNESCAP