Development activists to convene in Dhaka to discuss post-MDG targets

From left, Khondaker Golam Moazzem, senior research fellow of Centre for Policy Dialogue; Debapriya Bhattacharya, distinguished fellow; Mustafizur Rahman, executive director; and Fahmida Khatun, head of research, attend a press conference yesterday at its office in Dhaka to announce the Southern Voice on Post-MDGs meet.Photo: STAR

Experts from developing countries will gather in Dhaka early next week to talk about agendas and targets to set following completion of millennium development goals (MDGs) in 2015.
Some 19 experts from South Asia, Latin America and Africa will attend the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD)-hosted three-day meeting, beginning on January 11, on a new global initiative, Southern Voice on Post-MDGs.
As the MDGs approach the 2015 deadline, the international development community is focusing on articulation of post-MDG framework, issues and targets.
Taking note of the global power imbalance, knowledge asymmetry and MDG delivery experience, the initiative seeks to channel its inputs from developing countries' perspectives into the ongoing global discussions.
"This initiative intends to leverage the evidence-based knowledge and policy experience in the South [developing and least developed countries] to influence the emerging global development agenda," Debapriya Bhattacharya, distinguished fellow of CPD, said in a press briefing.
The MDGs set in 2000 by UN member states aims to achieve eight main targets by 2015 that include: eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education and promoting gender equality and women's empowerment.
Of the eight targets, two -- ensuring environmental sustainability and getting international support -- are out of Bangladesh's control.
“But compared with any country in Africa, Bangladesh has fared well," Bhattacharya said.
The country has made progress in five of the areas that include reducing the level of poverty, ensuring universal primary education and reducing child mortality, he said.
Progress in reducing malnutrition and maternal mortality, however, remains slow,” he added.
“But as the MDGs deadline nears, active participation of civil society and governments of developing countries, also termed as South, has become important so that their voices and issues become reflected in the development agendas to be set for the next phase.”
Mustafizur Rahman, executive director of CPD, said developing countries were not properly included in the framing of MDGs in 2000.
"This time, we want to play role in the discussions for setting targets for the post-MDG period. We want it to be based on a bottom-up approach, and not a top-down one," Rahman said.
"Our initiative is to make sure that interests and priorities of South get reflected in the post-MDG framing,” he said. Bhattacharya, also convener of Southern Voice on Post-MDGs, said the many of the targets under the MDGs will remain unresolved by 2015.
“At the same time, new risks such as environmental degradation, world economic recession and natural disasters have emerged along with reducing income inequality and corruption and ensuring good governance.”
He said experts from three continents will talk on setting agenda and identifying a set of activities to be done by Southern Voice on Post-MDGs in 2013 and 2014 in a bid to provide inputs into the ongoing global discussions on post-MDGs framework and targets.