Achievements of MDGs hit the spotlight

Lawmakers from home and abroad take part in a programme of a two-day forum of the South, Southwest, North and Central Asia Parliamentarian and the CSO Forum on MDG Acceleration and Post-2015 Development Agenda, at Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka yesterday. Photo: Northbrook

Governments, parliamentarians and civil society and non-governmental organisations should join hands together to accelerate achievements of the Millennium Development Goals and the post 2015 development agenda, said a declaration of lawmakers and citizens groups yesterday.
"With only three years left before the target year of the MDGs, parliamentarians and civil society organisations continue to play vital roles in accelerating progress towards the achievement of the MDGs in the region, by particularly pushing for the provision of quality public services as well as social protection," read the Dhaka Declaration.
The early engagement of parliaments and CSOs and synergies between them, among other stakeholders, are vital to the success of an integrated post 2015 development agenda, it said.
The 17-point declaration came on the concluding day of the two-day forum of the South, Southwest, North and Central Asia Parliamentarian and CSO Forum on MDG Acceleration and Post-2015 Development Agenda at Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka.
Fifty-seven members of parliaments and 38 civil society leaders from 12 countries from South, Southeast, North and Central Asia adopted the declaration, in presence of 40 representatives of development partner organisations and three parliamentarians from Africa and the United Kingdom as solidarity delegations.
The declaration said the CSOs have an important responsibility for furthering gains of the MDGs and promoting an inclusive post 2015 development agenda, as key groups for accountability monitoring and by facilitating interface between the people and decision makers.
It said parliaments must have sufficient capacity to engage in the post-2015 agenda implementation in terms of their constitutional responsibilities and CSOs must have sufficient capacity to advocate for the effective implementation of the development agenda.
The CSOs must have an enabling environment to advocate for the effective implementation of the development agenda, said the declaration.
The declaration said the post-2015 agenda and its implementation mechanisms, targets and indicators should be fully aligned with international human rights standards and principles.
It said delivering fully on all official development assistance commitments by Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development is critical.
The declaration urged the United Nations to facilitate engagement of parliamentarians and CSOs with the UN high level panel of eminent persons on post 2015 development agenda to ensure their meaningful participation.
"As the deadline for achieving the MDGs is now drawing closer and global stock-taking continues, there is a growing realisation that while much has been achieved in reaching many targets and goals ahead of deadline there are also under-achievements," Foreign Minister Dipu Moni said at the event.
She said the much needed international finances for accelerating the MDGs must not be reined in or stashed away in the name of austerity. And additional and predictable development financing through public-private-CSO partnership must be considered.
She said parliamentary democracy and a sound partnership amongst governments, parliamentarians, the civil society and non-governmental organisations can accelerate achievements of MDGs and the post-2015 goals.
The parliament of Bangladesh and All Party Parliamentary Group hosted the event, which was organised by the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development and the United Nations Millennium Campaign.
Earlier at a press briefing, Minar Pimple, regional director of UN Millennium Campaign, said despite impressive achievement on MDGs there is still unfinished business.
He said only five OECD countries have so far been able to reach their ODA targets. "But they are very small countries. We need contribution from larger economies."
Countries would have to internalise the MDGs into their national goals to reach the targets, said Saber Hossain Chowdhury, chairperson of APPG on climate change and environment.
He said the parliamentarians can hold the government accountable from in parliament and the CSOs can do the same from outside of parliament.
The parliamentarians and the CSOs should collectively work for a collective future, said
Amitabh Baher, global co-chair of Global Call to Action Against Poverty.