Millennium Development Goals: Agenda of The Third Chamber

“No society can surely be flourishing and happy, of which the far greater part of the members are poor and miserable.” This was the obvious and truthful statement made back in the 18th century by Economist Adam Smith. What he said is manifesting itself in today’s much-conceived global world.

With the poor getting poorer while “The most affluent fifth of the population received half of all household income…”, reports the US Census Bureau of 2001, one will not be wrong to say that we are living in an era of ‘poverty in abundance’. The world has seen ‘greater obscene and some filthy rich minority’, [some through illegal means], yet the majority hardly live on 1 dollar a day.

The future of larger population in many societies continues to be bleak, miserable, uncertain and hopeless. Coupled with this is the ‘mortgaging’ of even the future and destinies of generations yet to be borne. Human potentials are in a dilemma of being cut short by poverty, diseases, ignorance, inappropriate leadership and lack of human-face political will.

What we see today is that HIV/AIDS is fast destroying humanity in a very alarming rate with very inadequate efforts to save the poor masses affected. Yet, day in day out, we hear leadership pronouncements and declarations on the disease but the reality of it is nothing more than political talks and double standards.

Injustices and unfairness in the management and distribution of world resources has created flames of terrorism, wars, tribal conflicts, highly technological crimes, contempt, and gross abuse of human rights. And in all cases it is the very poor, voiceless and unprotected in society who faces the overall consequences.

Education for most people is nothing to write about with high drop-out rate, escalating ‘educated illiterates’, poor teacher-pupil ratio and higher boys-girls inequalities in terms of access, performance, retention and after school opportunities.

In health wise, mortality among children and that of maternal in developing nation is an eye sore with very little hope of survival during such periods. Accessing many basic drugs for man’s survival is a ‘whole process of a sweating marathon’, not to talk about the insufficiencies, inefficiencies and unreliability in the health profession.

The actions of mankind have led to situations in which the environment and its habitat are grossly at the mercy of man’s selfishness, with not much effort to resuscitate and restore the biodiversity for the sustenance of life.

The gist of how the affairs of the world have been managed by man is the fear, ill-health, drought, scarcity in abundance, famine, wars, terrorism and complete lack of peace, lawlessness and disorderliness, injustices, gross abuse of human rights being the portion of today’s societies.

The world is at a crossroad now. The poor are still struggling for the basics for survival. Even with the significant improvements in some Asian economies, the returns gained in recent years are not enough to offset the decays and impoverishment that have long taken roots. In Africa, the lack of significant socio-economic development base to employ its human and material resource power for productive capacities has tended to drift away even the little brains developed over the years to much greener societies.

Whilst the economies of most developed nations have seen significant growth over the past decades that of developing nations have rather decline consistently. Even with all the favourable factors including the enormous tracks of arable lands that Africa can boast of, the continent cannot feed her people let alone trade surplus for much needed foreign income.

To confront the huge strip of inequality between the haves [developed] and the have-nots [developing] in the face of ‘over sung global village’, the United Nations adopted the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) as a global blue print to ensure the systematic development of third world nations.

The eight-point plan, achievable by 2015* and targeting poverty reduction, education, fair trade, good governance and democracy, sustainable development, was hailed as a masterpiece to heal the development wounds of third world nations. Yet, since its adoption in September 2000 there is glowing consensus that it is more a mirage and will certainly elude humanity. Many are of the view that the world has not committed fully to its implementation; and that the approach and political backing to it has been very sluggish and ineffective, hence the doubt about the achievement of the millennium goals by 2015.

The desire and the commitment to communicate such ‘expression of willingness’ to take up the fight against poverty on a global basis once and for all seems to have gone missing in the agenda of those who initiated and adopted the MDG. No wonder the UN development system itself has started conceding that “at the current rate of progress none of the MDGs will be achieved by 2015”, (UNDP).

It seems so far that the only positive aspect of the MDGs is the high profile promises with little considerate will, dedication and power to carry out the expected action plan. Hence after 3years of adopting such specific time action plan many of what should have been done by now still remains on paper gathering diplomatic dust. The question is: is it yet another ambitious, unrealistic agenda just meant to save some of its [UN] dwindling image? Only time will tell!

The neglect of the powerless third nations continues awaiting a possible ‘divine intervention’. Things are getting hopeless and bleakly. The global world today is like George Orwell’s Animal Farm- “four legs good, two legs bad.”

Fair trade exists when you have the power to declare war on other societies. Free labour mobility and fair immigration procedure exists only when your citizens are within a particular zone. While third world nations are made to see subsidies as “axes of evil” for economic survival, in some nations, people are paid to produce for nothing but to destroy the productive efforts of poor nations.

Where as support for anti retroviral drugs production for African nations is no where near the agenda of nations capable of doing it, greater concession is given towards the production of cracks, weapons and others. And the pathetic aspect of this is even though Africa does not manufacture weapons, yet she harbours about a third of the world’s weapons. No wonder we now have professional child soldiers as early as 10 years fighting gorilla wars.

The urgent need for the world especially those from affluent societies to wear ‘pro third world development glasses’ cannot be over emphasised. Likewise, the need for such societies to consolidate their societies peacefully by opening up to the needs and aspirations of the majority who hardly get the basics for survival is equally important.

Committing to dealing with these two issues as well as realizing the structurally perpetual neglect and now having the feeling that it is time to securing the fortunes and well-being of third world nations, has led the Dutch community taken the bold step in sustainable international development cooperation. The step is meant to deepen and reawaken the consciousness of humanity globally to the needs of billions still lagging in oblivion. A step to stem down on political procrastinations deepening the woes of Africa and other third nations! A step calling on world leaders- especially the ‘G societies’- to show commitment and political will towards the MDGs! It is also a step to change the views of those who continually use life-threatening issues of third nations as mere political talk shows.

Finally, the Dutch community wants to break its navel-gazing, commit part of its resources to the implementation of the MDGs with the view to creating a much more deepened partnership between developed and developing world for sustainable international development. That bold step is contained in the project “The Third Chamber” or “De Derde Kamer”, a shadow of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament.

The project is an initiative of the Netherlands Commission for International Cooperation and Sustainable Development (NCDO). The purely advocacy and think tank group is made up of 120 Dutch and 30 others from across the ‘south’. The chamber is concerned with engaging volunteers from within and without to dedicate their energies and time to issues of international cooperation; and how best to break new grounds for the effective implementation of the MDGs.

The Third Chamber, founded on the very principles of the MDGs, aims at raising awareness (engaging in advocacy), developing ideas and finding ways to facilitate the development of international policies which take into account the needs and concerns of developing nations. This, it aims to do by engaging politicians, the media, the civil societies, international organizations, the business community and institutions of global development in discussions and dialogues.

The Chamber believes that the decisions and choices of the Dutch government and other developed nations concerning development cooperation and socio-economic and political issues can be literally a matter of life and death for third world nations. There is no question about the fact that development issues concerning third nations have substantially been neglected to the background in the policy decision, policy making and its implementation of affluent nations. With this in mind, the NCDO and the Chamber target to give new depth and substance in putting international issues (especially those affecting poor nations) into the political agenda of the west, and noting that ‘charity begins at home’ their focus has been on the Dutch society.

Since its inauguration in 2003 the chamber has engaged itself with six key development issues including good governance and democracy, corporate and social responsibility and the European Union, Education, Dutch Development Cooperation Budget and International Cooperation. Some of the policies advocated for in 2003 were ‘building bridges’ through the creation of opportunities for local partnership; ‘developing the hidden power’ by engaging local capacities to be socially, economically, politically and financially viable and independent to fight poverty; and ‘deepening access to growth capital’ for development by the governance and democracy, corporate and social responsibility and the European Union respectively.

The EU group noted that about Euro 20billion meant for development project through the EU-ACP partnership since the Cotonou agreement has been lying idle due to “unnecessary procedures and often times defective play of politics.” They therefore called for a more concerted investment drive that touches the core of poverty of reduction. No to navel-gazing through effective brainstorming on education; ensuring transparency in international development projects; and the need for free movement of both human and material resources and the unbiased migration policies across the borders of western societies were also pioneered by the education, Dutch development cooperation budget and the migration groups respectively.

A holistic ‘informal’ way of penetrating the walls of political structures to get ‘life or death’ issues on third nations heard took place in The Hague and the world at large with such experienced politicians as former MPs Leoni Spikes and Jan Hoekema leading the crusade forward.

A lot of prominent public servants have been working hand in hand with the Third Chamber. For instance Mr. Ruud Lubbers (a former prime minister), a UN High Commission for Refugees and Ambassador of the Third Chamber called for immediate and unconditional implementation of the MDGs. Concerned about the problems of developing world vis-à-vis the delays in tackling the MDGs, he urged western societies to take a proactive stance to fight poverty and diseases in less privileged nations. Ambassador Lubbers noted that HIV/AIDS is wiping out life in Africa in very alarming rate that calls for the developed world to lend a hand of support. Particularly, he challenged the Dutch society to open up to the needs of many who are struggling to secure the basics of life, and called for support for the voiceless in society until the world hear their cry. . Mr Henny Helmich, The Executive Director of the NCDO, emphasized the need for affluent nations to break from its closed societies and integrate effectively with the rest of the world. He urged the west to include development issues affecting poor nations into their political decision –making and also take an active part in developing such nations. Helmich called on affluent nations to accept part of the responsibility in the development of less endowed societies stressing that such societies do not have the capacities to secure their own development growth without support from the west.

The Minister for Development Cooperation, Mrs. A.M.A. van Ardenne-van der Hoeven stressed on Dutch commitment to development needs of less developed nations in her closing statement. She was happy that NCDO has chosen such project to deal with issues bordering on the MDGs, which according to her also underpin the Dutch government’s policy objective on development cooperation. She welcomed the effort of the Third Chamber, noting that it will help inform the policy decisions and objectives on development issues of her ministry.

The Dutch society is aggressively championing the course towards integrated sustainable development in today’s global village. Many policy proposals have been tabled on development cooperation, which nevertheless, aim at sustainable poverty reduction, improved education, sustainable environment and HIV/AIDS and reproductive care. For instance the proposed consideration to set up a “Stability Fund” to “finance development-related activities aimed at preventing violence and promoting security and stability” in societies bedeviled by armed conflicts would be of strategic importance to such countries.

The woman with “sustainable and integrated development cooperation visionary glasses” (van der Hoeven) is working more determined towards the realization of a truly global development that mainstreams issues seriously affecting developing nations. Her focus on five key variables: integrated policy, regional approach, focus on Africa, greater private sector role and coherence- are very fundamental and hold the key for any decision towards shaping the future and destiny of poor nations.

For far too long, developed nations have supported the development wheels of the less privileged only to ‘stab them at the back’ through their unfair terms of trade, market barriers, and unproductive agriculture policies on subsidies, which depicts higher degree of double standards they exhibit. Noting that, “there is no point giving with one hand and taking it away with the other- by dumping subsidised agricultural produce in developing countries…” the new Dutch want to promote the development of poor nations in a free trade and easy market access environment, and this is of interest and reassuring for a just and fair sustainable global world.

Her “Committing to each other” policy and the “Shaping of Africa” document entitled “Strong People, Weak State” which engaged an online debate were indications that Dutch is accepting the challenge that the west have a significant role to play to make developing nations self sustaining and not left out of the global village.

The good news is that since 2003 the Third Chamber and the NCDO have been instrumental in pushing the MDG’s agenda forward through many approaches and initiatives with people from many social settings. For instance in October 2005 Ghana’s athlete Esther Dankwah was co-opted into the launching of an exhibition on ‘Orpans in Africa’ to educate the Dutch society the causes and perils of being an orphan in Africa. Being on the throat of decision-makers in the Netherlands through proposals, direct engagement, and demands no one can argue that the chamber is a worthy project.

But in appreciating the efforts by the Dutch in finding sustainable solutions to the problems of less developed countries (LDC’s), we need to be cautious in bagging our hopes on them, especially people from LDC’s. The [affluent] nations have their own interest and political agenda, and of course their domestic problems and this will shape their commitment, capacity and political will to fully work on development issues across the globe.

On the development of developing nations, greater responsibility lies on the leadership of such nations. If they exhibited high sense of devotion to duty, open and justifiable responsibility in service, committed to growth-based development programmes, and stopped using their positions to milk their nations, they will lay the foundation to secure their societies.

Furthermore, it is time developing nations accepted the fact that today’s global development is dependent on open, accountable and transparent society that uphold human rights, democracy, good governance, gender mainstreaming, freedom and liberty, civil society development, private sector development and progressively smaller but efficient states. With this, the onus lies on us [poor nations] to work what is good for our societies. Since there is no free lunch anywhere, any attempt to depend solely on the aids and grants from others will be at a much greater cost. The best each can get is from him/her self, so applies to nations.

There can never be any better goals to develop the undeveloped nations than the MDGs. But it calls for a swift, precise and decisive action on its implementation, and that is lacking now. Finally, is there any hope in this globalised world where poorer nations are worse off than it was 30 years ago? Can there be a genuine way out of poverty in an era which best fits in Shakespeare’s description of an English Cardinal in the 16th century-Thomas Wolsey as “ His promises were, as he then was, mighty; but his performance, as he then is now, nothing"?

If Europe was able to come out of its social, political and economic turmoil as a result of two great wars that shook the foundation of the world, then one has hope that however long it may take, and however hard and uncertain it may seem, a golden age for developing nations will surely come to pass. We remain optimistic that the good work started by NCDO and The Third Chamber will help facilitate every good initiative put in place for the development of the under developed especially Africa which to Tony Blair is the 'scar on the conscience' of the world.

*The Millennium Development Goals by 2015:

1. Reduce extreme poverty by at least half of 1990 situation

2. All children across the world to receive basic education

3. Ensure gender equality and women empowerment

4. Reduce mortality of children under five developing nations about two-thirds of 1990 figure

5. Reduce maternal mortality rate in every developing nation by three-quarters of 1990 figure

6. Bring under control the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

7. Ensure integration of sustainable environment development in national policy and programmes, sound management of natural resources and reduce by half people without access to safe drinking water. By 2020

condition of at least 140 million people of shanty towns must be improved 8. Create global development partnership with sound policy agreement and also to develop an open, fair, predictable and properly regulated trade and financial system, find solutions for debt problems and ensure the transfer of new technologies.

By Seth Nketiah, Third Chamber Member (2003) and Hannah Asomaning, Member (2007).
For comments email: sethnketiah03599888@yahoo.com or hans57ty@yahoo.com

Views expressed by the author(s) do not necessarily reflect those of GhanaHomePage.