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"Sell your possessions and give the money to the poor; make yourselves purses which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near, nor moth destroys." Luke 12:33.

Millennium Development Goals

In September 2000, all 189 member states of the United Nations signed on to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - a set of eight targets which aim to halve world poverty by 2015. Each target has clear indicators to measure progress and success.

Introduction to the MDGs

In short, the MDGs, which all have a target date of 2015, are:

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
a. reduce by half the proportion of people living on less than a dollar (US) a day
b. reduce by half the proportion of people who suffer from hunger

2. Achieve universal primary education
a. ensure that all children complete primary schooling

3. Promote gender equality and empower women
a. ensure girls have the same access to education as boys

4. Reduce child mortality
a. cut infant and child deaths by two thirds

5. Improve maternal health
a. reduce by three quarters the proportion of women dying in childbirth

6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
a. halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS
b. begin to reverse the incidence of malaria and other diseases like TB

7. Ensure environmental sustainability
a. reduce byhalf the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water
b. transform the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by 2020
c. reverse the loss of environmental resources

8. Develop a global partnership for development
a. address issues such as trade, debt, aid and public health to promote economic growth and poverty reduction

For more information on the goals see the following links:

Five Key Asks

Micah Challenge believes there are five key areas that Australia must act on to see the MDGs achieved. They are listed below. Otherwise, you can Click here to download a detailed document with policy information.

1. Give more and better aid
Achieving the MDGs requires developing countries to implement poverty reducing policies, such as developing health and education systems that target the poor, constructing and maintaining essential infrastructure such as roads, transport, telecommunications, clean water and sanitation, and fostering economic growth that is inclusive of the poor. Although the bulk of the funding for such services will normally come from developing countries themselves, most lack all the resources they need to achieve the MDGs by 2015. Additional resources are required, including aid from 'developed' countries.

It has been estimated that to meet the global MDG financing gap, developed countries need to achieve aid budgets of 0.7% GNI by 2015 and ensure the bulk of these resources are devoted to helping developing countries achieve the MDGs. In 2009-10 Australia's aid commitment stands at 0.34% of GNI. The Government has indicated it will increase Australia's aid to of 0.5% GNI by 2015-16. These commitments, though welcome, are well short of the 0.7% GNI international aid target and lower than most other OECD nations. In line with our international commitments Australia should therefore announce a timetable to lift Australia's Official Development Assistance to 0.7% GNI by 2015.

Quality of aid is as important as aid volume. Australia must ensure that its aid program is focused on helping developing countries achieve the MDGs. In 2008 the Government declared a renewed focus on the MDGs and has taken concrete actions to implement this. It has increased aid to water and sanitation, healthcare, basic education and rural development. Micah Challenge affirms this focus and believes it should be extended further. In 2009 Micah Challenge is asking for substantial increases in aid funding to health care and climate change initiatives.

2. Cancel poor country debt
Loans are one-way developing countries can access funds to enable their development. Unfortunately many loans made to developing countries were not provided to fund development but were used by corrupt leaders for their own gain or were directed to poor ends. It is, however, the poor of a country who suffer, as their country's resources are used to pay off debt rather than provide services to its citizens. Although significant debt relief has been provided for some poorer countries, debt still remains a problem for many. Micah Challenge believes debt relief should be extended to all countries off-track to achieving the MDGs.

3. Ensure trade justice
It has been estimated that if the 53 lowest income countries in the world could increase their share of global trade by 1% their income would increase by over US$120 billion a year. This is three times as much as these countries receive in aid. Unfortunately the structure of the world trade system tends to favour the interests of richer nations. Micah Challenge believes the Australian Government should advocate for fair trade rules and help developing countries improve their capacity to trade.

4. Support good governance
Governance refers to the effectiveness of governments in delivering services to their citizens. Poor governance can be the result of low skills, inadequate resources, and corruption. All of these are significant problems in many developing countries and improvements are essential to achieving the MDGs. Micah Challenge believes Australia can support good governance in developing countries through actions such as programs to strengthen the capacity of the public service in developing countries, support for initiatives that help citizens of poor countries hold their governments accountable, and the promotion of international standards to combat corruption and promote good governance.

5. Tackle climate change
Climate change is one of the most serious threats to sustainable human development and poverty reduction. The Stern Report (2006) stated that: "The poorest developing countries will be hit earliest and hardest by climate change, even though they have contributed little to causing the problem. Their low incomes make it difficult to finance adaptation. The international community has an obligation to support them in adapting to climate change. Without such support there is a serious risk that development progress will be undermined." The challenge before the international community is twofold: (1) to avoid the most dangerous impacts of climate change by keeping temperature increases below two degrees; (2) to adapt to the impacts of unavoidable climate change. Developing countries will require substantial assistance to engage in effective mitigation and adaptation.

Micah Challenge calls on the Australian Government to act on climate change:
• Take a leading role in international efforts to reach an agreement to keep the global temperature increase below two degrees. This should include a recognition that while all countries must play a part in mitigation efforts, developed countries have a responsibility to shoulder a significantly larger portion of the burden due to our much greater per capita contribution to climate change (both historically and currently) and our greater capacity to
finance mitigation. Australia must be prepared to reduce its greenhouse emissions by up to 40% over 1990 levels by 2020 and by 80-90% by 2050.
• Commit to its fair share of external funding required by developing countries to adapt to climate change. At present the amount required is uncertain but it could be as high as $100-150 billion pa, of which Australia's fair share would be $2-3 billion pa. This funding should be over and above the international aid commitment of 0.7% GNI.


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