In the run up of the United Nations-led summit on the Millennium Development Goals in September, the U.N. Development Program is preparing an “International Assessment” of what it will take to reach the 2015 deadline, Helen Clark said before the European Parliament.
The assessment will map out “common and underlying” success factors and persisting national and international constraints in realizing the MDGs, according to UNDP chief. It aims to set out “concrete measures” to help speed up the achievement of the MDGs. The report will draw on the work of UNDP and other members of U.N. country teams in appraising the progress of 30 nations in realizing the eight development goals.
“The assessment is due to be launched shortly, in time to inform negotiations on the Summit outcome document and to complement the Secretary General’s MDG Progress Report, which will offer a target by target account of global progress to date,” the UNDP chief said June 10.
September’s summit will help scale-up and replicate successful MDG programs, Clark said.
UNDP has also developed a diagnostic framework to help aid-recipient governments and development partners identify interventions that have the most impact on attaining the MDGs and policies that can sustain advancements already charted.
“A number of UN Country Teams and programme countries are piloting this tool right now, to validate its effectiveness in accelerating MDG progress globally,” Clark said.
Based on UNDP’s analysis and experience, investments in inclusive and balanced growth, health and education, gender empowerment, social protection and energy have the greatest impact in advancing the MDGs.
Clark urged E.U. member states to keep their aid pledges. Well allocated and predictable official development assistance is crucial for meeting the MDGs, she noted.
The UNDP chief lauded a provision of the EU’s twelve-point Spring Development Package that calls for the establishment of a stronger accountability mechanism in tracking the contributions of each member state to reach the overall EU ODA target.
“This is an important reaffirmation of the EU’s long-standing commitment to the developing world,” she said.