PHA-Exch> Are the MDG's Priority in Development Strategies and Aid Programmes?

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: Ruggiero, Mrs. Ana Lucia (WDC) <ruglucia at paho.org>
crossposted from: EQUIDAD at listserv.paho.org


 *ARE THE MDGs PRIORITY IN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES AND AID PROGRAMMES?*

*
ONLY FEW ARE!*

* *

*Working Paper number 48 October, 2008*

*Sakiko Fukuda-Parr, Professor of International Affairs, The New School
University, New York*

*International Poverty Centre - United Nations Development Programme*



Available online as PDF file [28p.] at:
http://www.undp-povertycentre.org/pub/IPCWorkingPaper48.pdf



"……..The gap between strong political commitment to the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) and slow progress towards meeting them is often
attributed to weak "ownership" by developing country governments. This
Working Paper addresses the issue of ownership by analysing the substance of
22 developing countries' Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) and the
policy frameworks of 21 bilateral programmes.



Two major findings of the analysis are as follows. First, economic growth
for income poverty reduction and social sector investments (education,
health and water) are important priorities in most of the PRSPs; decent
work, hunger and nutrition, the environment and access to technology tend to
be neglected. PRSPs also emphasise governance as an important means of
achieving the MDGs, but they focus mostly on economic governance rather than
on democratic (participatory and equitable) processes.



Since the key motivation for the MDGs as reflected in the Millennium
Declaration was to promote a more inclusive globalisation through
participatory processes, the PRSPs are undercutting their core policy
purpose. Implementation could be refocused if greater attention were paid to
the neglected objectives and dimensions in the MDGs' design, as major goals
and with quantitative indicators.



The single most effective revision could be to add a goal of reducing
inequality in income and other dimensions of poverty within and between
countries. Second, this Working Paper distinguishes between three functional
uses of global goals: as consensus objectives, as monitoring benchmarks, and
as planning targets.

Most donor policy statements and PRSPs use MDGs as consensus objectives.
Most PRSPs also use MDGs as planning targets, but without adapting them to
local conditions and priorities. In most cases where MDG targets are set,
they are in line with the MDG 2015 targets; this is not necessarily a sign
of "ownership" because these targets are not accompanied by coherent action
plans. If the MDGs are to be used as planning targets for resource
allocation purposes, the international community could develop a more
consistent and effective approach to the local incorporation of MDGs into
national planning and priority setting…."
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