GOAL 8 OF THE MDGs

DEVELOP A GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR DEVELOPMENT

What the world is like 2015 will be a reflection of how developing and developed countries worked together to achieve the MDGs. This collaboration is key to achieving Goal 8.
The deal makes clear that the primary responsibility of developing countries is to work towards achieving the first seven Goals. But for developing countries to succeed, it is critical that developed countries deliver on their end of the bargain, with more and more effective aid, more sustainable debt relief and fairer trade rules, well in advance of 2015. Developed countries pledge more than thirty years ago 0.7% of their national income in development aid, but few have achieved this target.


IN OUR WORLD TODAY:

• Europe's cows receive $2 a day in subsidies, more than the income of half the world's population
• Developed countries pledged to give 0.7% of their national income aid. Only 5 countries are living up to the commitment; the USA is giving less than 0.2%
• It is estimated that were developed countries to break down trade barriers, this could help lift 300 million people out of poverty by 2015

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?

Donors should focus aid on developing countries in the greatest need, and simplify requirements for the recipients. Forcing developing countries to buy products made in donor countries is counterproductive to the growth of their own economies. Developed countries should also open their markets to products made in developing countries; present trade policies discriminate and hurt their chances to participate in the global economy. Three-quarters of the world's most disadvantaged-900 million people depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, but subsidies from developed countries lead to overproduction, which depresses world prices and threatens the livelihood of local farmers. Greater debt cancellation for developing countries can help them to invest in primary health and education, and other sectors needed to achieve the MDGs.

HOW ARE YOUTH AFFECTED OR INVOLVED?

Who will benefit more from a better world in 2015 but today's youth? Goal 8 is the only one to mention youth; one of the targets is to increase job opportunities for young people. According to International Labour Organisation, youth employment in 2004 was at an all time high: half the world jobless are 15 to 24 years old. Greater and more flexible employment opportunities for youth, especially those at risk, are needed, and decent working conditions for all young people must be provided. Employment policies should ensure that jobs are meaningful, and contribute to the creation of more sustainable communities.

GOAL 7 OF THE MDGs

ENSURE ENVIROMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

We can't maintain a healthy society or economy without taking care of our environment, and protecting our environment contributes to reaching all the other goals. Improved water and sanitation help to reduce child mortality, and better drainage reduces the risk of malaria. Today, human activities are causing losses in biodiversity at a rate 50 to 100 times faster than would otherwise be expected. Goal 7 aims to improve the way we take care of the enviroment, so the natural resourses people need to survive will be available to future generations.


IN OUR WORLD TODAY:

• 2 million children die every year from infectons spread by dirty water or the lack of toilets
• 1.2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water and 2.4 billion people lack access to proper sanitation facilities
• The collapse of fisheries around the world threatens to increase hunger and poverty among poor coastal communities throughout the developing world

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?

Significant improvements in access to safe drinking water have been made in rural areas, but only a few countries are making enough progress to meet goal 7 by 2015. Environmental sustainability needs to be integrated into education curricula and all policy decisions, and the impact of these decisions must be evaluated regularly. People living in environmentally unsafe areas must have more opportunities to participate in making decisions that affect their own communities.

HOW ARE YOUTH AFFECTED OR INVOLVED?

Youth must contribute to environmental sustainability for the simple reason that it affects their lives today and their futures more than anyone else. Young people can increase environmental awarenes and activism in their own communities through formal and informal education, as well as through effective use of the media to get the message out. Furthermore, youth must be consulted by decision-makers, and can bring fresh ideas to the table when developing local and national policies.

Enviromental sustainability is especially relevant to youth today. In a mere decade or two, it is our generation that will suffer from the disastrous consequences of air and water pollution

GOAL 6 OF THE MDGs

COMBAT HIV/AIDS, MALARIA AND OTHER DISEASES

Imagine your whole community dying of a preventable disease. Every day, seven thousand young people contact HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS not only affects the individual, it touches entire communities and countries. As more and more teachers die from HIV/AIDS, children are robbed of an education. Farmers dying of HIV/AIDS are unable to provide enough food for their families and villages, causing more poverty and hunger. Goal 6 aims to stop, and finally reverse, the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other deadly diseases by 2015.

IN OUR WORLD TODAY:

• 4.8 million people became newly infected with HIV in 2003; that's 13, 000 a day!
• Malaria causes more than one million deaths each year
• There were two million deaths from tuberculosis in 2002

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?

HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis are all preventable, but solutions to these health problems remain out of reach for millions of disadvantaged people. Awareness, education, diagnosis and treatment for HIV/AIDS are still low in many regions. Studies in sub-Saharan Africa revealed that half of teenagers did not even realize that a healthy looking person could be living with HIV/AIDS. Government must spend much more on basic health services for their people. Developed countries spend at least 5% of their GDP (Gross Domestic Product) on public health care, but in developing countries it is often less than half that.

HOW ARE YOUTH AFFECTED OR INVOLVED?

Every minute, six young people between the ages of 10 and 25 are infected with HIV/AIDS. Youth need information and preventive education in order to decrease the risk of infection and halt the spread. Young people have already been involved with many campaigns to stop HIV/AIDS, but many more need to get involved. Many youth have acted as peer educators and motivators in school to counter the stigma around HIV/AIDS. Others have been advocating for the inclusion of youth voices in national strategies and policies, and distributing medicine to disadvantaged members of their community. We have the opportunity to see a world free of HIV/AIDS and other deadly diseases, but we can only get there if you raise your voice.