Are We There Yet?

 

Major progress towards Millennium Development Goals,  but the most vulnerable are left behind, UN report says.

UN Secretary-General urges world leaders to step up efforts to meet the Goals

Geneva, 7 July 2011 – Significant strides towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have been made, yet reaching all the goals by the 2015 deadline remains challenging because the world’s poorest are being left

behind, a UN report says.

The Millennium Development Goals Report 2011, launched today by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, says there is reason to celebrate, as major successes have been made since world leaders in the year 2000 established the Goals to reduce extreme poverty, hunger, illiteracy and disease.

"Already the MDGs have helped lift millions of people out of poverty, save countless children’s lives and ensure that they attend school,” Mr. Ban said. “They have reduced maternal deaths, expanded opportunities for women, increased access to clean water, and freed many people from deadly and debilitating disease. At the same time, the report shows that we still have a long way to go in empowering women and girls, promoting sustainable development, and protecting the most vulnerable from the devastating effects of multiple crises, be they conflicts, natural disasters or volatility in prices for food and energy.”

To read the complete report, click here.

How is the World Doing?

Meeting the challenges of the Millennium Development Goals

For a review of results of the MDG's, watch the set of slides under the picture on the left in this video; more success stories are recorded in the right column in this video.

A Look at the Millennium Development Goals

 

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are the world's time-bound and quantified targets for addressing extreme poverty in its many dimensions-income poverty, hunger, disease, lack of adequate shelter, and exclusion--while promoting gender equality, education, and environmental sustainability. They are also basic human rights -- the rights of each person on the planet to health, education, shelter, and security. 

To understand more about the MDGs, watch this video.

UN Efforts To Tackle Causes of Extreme Poverty

What are the UN Millennium Development Goals?

The Millennium Development Goals were agreed upon by 189 UN members in 2000.  They encompass universally accepted human rights such as freedom from hunger, the right to basic education, the right to health, and a responsibility to future generations. More than halfway toward the target date – 2015 – will the Millennium Development Goals achieve a more prosperous and equitable world?  

View this video as Kofi Annan (former Secretary General of the UN) explains the need for the MDG goals.

CHARTER OF THE UNITED NATIONS

PREAMBLE                      

WE, THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS, DETERMINED

• to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and
• to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and
• to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and
• to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

AND FOR THESE ENDS

• to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and
• to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and
• to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and
• to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples,

HAVE RESOLVED TO COMBINE OUR EFFORTS TO ACCOMPLISH THESE AIMS

http://www.un.org/en/documents/charter/index.shtml

Meet an incredible woman!

Celebrating Women's Leadership

An incredible woman leader, Bella Abzug  was a passionate perfectionist and risk-taker. Bella was born on July 24, 1920, one month before U.S. women won their long struggle for the right to vote. Recognized early as a natural leader, Bella lived to become one of the 20th century’s great women leaders. She was honored and loved for her championship of the world’s women, human rights, the poor and oppressed, and most of all for her people-nurturing vision of a healthy, peaceful planet. Admirers and foes alike praised her for her brilliance, honesty, principles and dedication to women’s empowerment and democratic values.

...“We must each wear the hat of an advocate. Never hesitate to tell the truth. Never give in. Never give up.” -Bella S. Abzug (July 24, 1920 – March 31, 1998)

Bella Abzug: In Her Own Words (Video)

What Does the UN Do All day?

A Day in the Life of the UN

           

At the web site UN Journal you also have access to the day's agenda and happenings at the UN.  

Click HERE to read what is happening at the UN on August 11, 2011.

Women, Gender Equality and Climate Change

The Threats of Climate Change are not Gender-Neutral

Other Resources on UN websites 

Download PDF, 694 K

The threat of climate change, manifested in the increase of extreme weather conditions such as, droughts, storms or floods, has been recognized as a global priority issue. Climate change is a sustainable development challenge, with broad impacts not only on the environment but also on economic and social development. The effects of climate change will vary among regions, and between different generations, income groups and occupations as well as between women and men. Due, in part, to their lower adaptive capacities, developing countries and people living in poverty are likely to experience significant impacts.

Women form a disproportionately large share of the poor in countries all over the world. Women in rural areas in developing countries are highly dependent on local natural resources for their livelihood, because of their responsibility to secure water, food and energy for cooking and heating. The effects of climate change, including drought, uncertain rainfall and deforestation, make it harder to secure these resources. By comparison with men in poor countries, women face historical disadvantages, which include limited access to decision-making and economic assets that compound the challenges of climate change. ¹

It is therefore imperative that a gender analysis be applied to all actions on climate change and that gender experts are consulted in climate change processes at all levels, so that women's and men’s specific needs and priorities are identified and addressed.

STILL A LONG WAY TO GO

Long Fights for [WOMEN] Sports Equity, Even With a Law

Southern California was accused of denying its female students a fair chance at participating in sports. Thirteen years later, the federal agency charged with investigating sex discrimination in schools has not completed its inquiry into U.S.C.

In 2008, the same federal agency, the Office for Civil Rights, came across evidence that Ball State University in Indiana was losing a disproportionate number of coaches of its women’s teams. But the agency opted to let Ball State investigate itself. After a two-week inquiry, the university concluded that there was no evidence that any of the coaches had been unfairly treated or let go.

The federal law known as Title IX — requiring schools at all levels across the country to offer girls and women equal access to athletics — has produced a wealth of progress since it was enacted. But scores of schools still fail to abide by the law.

                           New York Times July 29, 2011