Millennium Development Goals

The present failure of world leaders to end the fighting and destruction in Syria, and the ongoing instability in Afghanistan, highlights the challenges the global community faces in addressing abuse, exploitation and torture in many parts of the wold.  Often fuelled by religion and sectarian divides the impact, particularly on women and children, remains a tragedy.

A recent report released by the United Nations on 2012 progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) highlights that, while some progress has been made in the areas of poverty reduction, access to safe drinking water, and reduced levels of child mortality, the pledge made in 2000 by world leaders to address these matters remains both a challenge and a dream.

While expectations around the world have grown for the Millennium goals to be fulfilled, there is growing and real anxiety that earlier hopes have now been dashed.  While improvements have been made in the areas of poverty reduction, education opportunities and child mortality, yet impediments still remain.  Recent natural disasters and the global financial crisis have further impeded reaching objectives, while the amount of global resources spent on arms continues to escalate.  Growing unemployment continues, and purchasing power in the poorest of countries continues to decline.  The impact of unemployment in Greece and Spain, particularly among the young and women, is having devastating effects on children and families.  The impact is still unclear and so, in turn, is likely to bring further suffering and pain.  Women and children remain the most affected and impoverished.  Another area of slow progress is maternal health, while the growing urbanisation of the world’s population is increasing pressure on infrastructure for water and electricity.  Rural areas still remain the most disadvantaged.

Perhaps the most challenging issue remains world hunger.  Nearly one billion people continue to live  in hunger, approximately 800 million in slum conditions.  These figures undoubtedly reflect an optimistic view and minimal expectations.

This assessment on progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goal is a reminder of the urgent need to rekindle the enthusiasm of the world leaders to recommit resources and energy at a greater pace and level than currently being experienced.  Much still needs to be done to tackle food scarcity, gender inequality, maternal health, housing and climate change.  How we respond to the needs of children in Australia remains ambivalent.  Children of asylum seekers and refugees are still locked up in detention, while child protection and family support services, including those for the indigenous population, cannot deal with the demand.

A political will is essential, as is the need to demand of our political representation a vigorous recommitment to the children of the world. The wellbeing of a country is best measured by how well it provides for and treats children in the present and the future.