Will Uganda achieve the MDGs by 2015?
28 August 2008
Monitor Online
Kampala: Nearly eight years ago, 189 heads of states and governments from the North and South (acting as representatives of their citizens) collectively signed the Millennium Declaration at the 2000 UN Millennium Summit. During this summit, world leaders from rich and poor countries alike reportedly committed themselves-at the highest political level, to a set of eight time-bound targets that, when achieved, will eradicate extreme poverty worldwide by 2015.
The Millennium Declaration, which led to the eight Millennium Development Goals, set out mutual commitment to cut poverty in various manifestations. In 2002, then UN Secretary General, Mr Koffi Annan, commissioned the UN Millennium project to develop a more practical plan of achieving the MDGs. In 2005, the Millennium project’s synthesis report, entitled “Investing in Development” was launched and set forth key recommendations on how to achieve the MDGs in rural sub-Saharan Africa.
Currently, the Millennium village project, one of the first 12 Millennium Village sites in sub-Saharan Africa is implementing these recommendations in 10 counties in the sub-Saharan Africa. But what are these so-called MDGs, one may ask?
The much-publicised MDGs are centered on; eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; Achieving Universal Primary Education (UPE); promoting gender equality and empowering women; reducing child mortality rates; improving maternal health; combating HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other major diseases; ensuring environmental sustainability and developing a global partnership for development.
But what progress has Uganda so far made in its path towards achieving the MDGs, ahead of the 2015? According to the 2005 civil society report on MDGs launched by Uganda National Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Forum, a lot has to be done if Ugandans are to benefit from these initiatives. The report, titled “A Long Way to Go – Civil Society Perspectives on the Progress and Challenges of Attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Uganda,” presented a mixed fact sheet for Uganda’s progress towards attaining the MDGs.
Critics have strongly argued that Uganda still has a long way to go in achieving the MDGs. Among the issues cited as stumbling blocks towards the 2015 Millennium challenge are; the rampant corruption in government circles that usually lack public accountability, nepotism and regional imbalances in job distribution, restriction of media and press freedoms, the constant harassment of the opposition and members of the civil society sector, among others.
In its effort to review Uganda’s progress on the MDGs, the UN Millennium campaign recently launched a publication entitled, “Good Policies, Poor Policing.” During the Accra, Ghana event, UN Millennium campaign Deputy Director, Dr Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem noted, “I believe that Africa has adequate resources to reduce the crippling burden of poverty and meet the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. What is lacking is focused leadership, development of appropriate policies and proper prioritization.”
Further note that last year (2007) was the halfway mark towards achieving the MDGs, and many countries in Africa are reportedly making significant progress towards achieving these goals, come 2015. However, progress in some countries is being hampered by the lack of political will and weak public policies.
Recently, Uganda police arrested two youths found slaughtering a dog. Moses Bogere, 36 and Edward Kitumba were charged with injuring an animal. Shall we ever eradicate poverty, one of the key MDGs in less than a decade, when our youths, the most productive age groups resort to eating or trading in dog meat as survival antics? Your guess is as good as mine.
* The writer, Julius N. Uma, is a Kampala-based journalist interested in social issues.
Keywords: Uganda, MDGs, development
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