Trying to the get the attention of a child when they are playing or watching TV is an almost impossible task. Scientists say, because of their young age, children are not intentionally ignoring their parents. Rather they have inattentional blindness — lack of awareness, especially outside the immediate focus of attention.
Getting the world’s governments to listen to the voices of their citizens and fulfil their promises on the Millennium Development Goals is not dissimilar. The world is certainly a better place because of the progress toward these goals, but some of the goals will not be met, and progress toward others has been uneven and inequitable.
Where MDG progress has been slow, one of the most frequent explanations has been the lack of accountability mechanisms attached to these aspirational goals. Ironic really, when consultations over the past years have shown that monitoring and accountability involving citizens directly enhances development effectiveness.
About the author
Mesfin Teklu Tessema
Dr. Mesfin Teklu Tessema is the senior director of health at the International Rescue Committee. He has more than 24 years of experience in the areas of public health, nutrition, international development, and humanitarian affairs. He is IRC’s senior policy and programmatic leader in health and responsible for managing the health team, which delivers high-quality technical support to more than 40 IRC country offices and the emergency response team
