A UN report in 2010 found that successes had occured in some of the poorest countries and regions showing what can be achieved. However the report also found that progress was uneven, with many children and women still suffering from the effects of poverty, hunger, preventable diseases and lack of access to clean water and sanitation, adequate health care and schooling.
Additional challenges
The global financial and economic crisis has provided an additional challenge to maintaining the pace of progress against poverty, whilst cross cutting issues such as gender present challenges in achieving all MDG targets. Women’s access to financial resources, unequal power relations, discrimination and stigma, gender stereotypes and violence all contribute to impede women’s progress. Additional emerging impacts of climate change also present challenges to achieving the goals; development must be sustainable and major additional financing is needed to support climate change adaptation.
2008 figures show that the aid targets set in 2005 have not been hit, with ODA disbursement to Africa increasing by just over $7.5billion, far off the $50 billion target.
Focus on equity
UNICEF’s 2010 report, Progress for Children: Achieving the MDGs with Equity, also presents clear disparities in children’s survival, development and protection among the world’s developing regions and within countries, and provides evidence to support a stronger focus on equity for children in the push to achieve the MDGs.
In September 2010, the UN hosted a high level MDG Review meeting to reinforce the global partnership around the MDGs, and support strategies to prevent backsliding and accelerate progress.
