UNICEF (Millennium Development Goals)
The Millennium Declaration was the first step towards the birth of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). The declaration had set priorities for peace and security, poverty reduction, the environment and human rights. Following the priorities, the MDG was born in September 2000 in New York during the Millennium Summit, one of the most well-known gatherings of nations in the 21st century. 189 members of the United Nations placed their minds on a common goal that led to the 8 goals for growth, humanity, prosperity, cooperation and generally; a better future. The plan is to achieve measurable improvements by 2015.
All around the world, war, poverty, unrest, and conflict has been bringing problems to our lives. We are not different kinds of species living in different countries. Rather, we are humans, gifted with the ability to think and we live in the same planet. If we see the world tomorrow as a planet that is worth living in for our children, we can get there together, hand in hand. Let us remind ourselves that we face challenges even today in terms of global warming, war, and the latest H1N1 flu that is spreading and claiming lives through human-to-human infection.
has been given the task of considering the children of the world. Children have needs like nutrition, education, welfare and the need to avoid risk of diseases like HIV / AIDS and exploitation. What we know are about humanity’s challenges is in these statistics:
- Almost 11mil children, which translates to more than 29,000 per day, die before the age of five, mostly from preventable causes
- According to a study by University of Bristol, over 1bil children suffer from at least one form of severe deprivation. 1bil is the equivalent of half of the children in developing countries.
- 1 in every 3 children in developing nations, over 500mil children have no access to sanitation and 1 in 5 has no access to clean water.
- Over 140mil children in developing countries, 13% of those aged from 7 to 18 of age have never attended school.
- AIDS have killed one or both parents of estimated 15mil children worldwide.
- Number of orphans are estimated to be over 25mil by the end of 2010
The Millennium Development Goals has the following 8 targets, namely:
- Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
- Achieve universal primary education
- Promote gender equality and empower women
- Reduce child mortality
- Improve maternal health
- Combat HIV / AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
- Ensure environmental sustainability
- Develop a global partnership for development
Out of the 8, 6 focused on children, and the reasons are:
- Children are the most critical in receiving help
- Children have rights to survival, food, nutrition, health, education, protection, equality, and welfare
- Reducing poverty starts with children
So, have you done your part today?
the meaning of life grows as we grow, ages as we age, and passes on to others as we pass – C.K.
there will be tomorrow only if we cherish today just as much – C.K.
