What comes after the Millennium Development Goals? In the UN High Level Panel held recently, an agenda was set to cover the process that will take place after the UN Development Goals come to an end in 2015. The three key points in the agenda included: women/gender equality, the role of the private sector, and global partnerships and governance.

With regards to women and gender equality, the main objective centered on raising women’s status. Henriette Kolb states, “Women constitute the majority of the world’s poor, but they also reinvest 90% of their income into their families.” It was highlighted that the financial independence of women is crucial to their well-being because it allows them to leave abusive and violent households/relationships. As for the private sector, the panel emphasized that private sectors are responsible for almost 90% of jobs in developing countries. Thus, it is important for corporations to be a part of global partnerships in order to address large-scale complex challenges quickly and efficiently. On a different note, the panel asserted that the private sector must be held more accountable for labor and environmental standards, gender equality, and governance in order to assure true sustainable development.

When it comes to global partnerships and governance, Kolb asserts, “developed economies need to be more serious about designing a robust international financing framework.” There must be a commitment to addressing climate change and a reform to tax and trade policies. It cannot be that only aid organizations and communities are aware of the UN Development Goals, pressuring their governments and holding them accountable for cooperation and contribution. Instead, the global community as a whole, including people living in developed countries, must come together in order to achieve the desired sustainable development.

With technology advancements  today, it is easy to reach people all over the global community. Thus, in Kolb’s words,”Let’s not wait until 2015 to get started…let’s start now with dreaming big and acting fast.” The cooperation and participation of all governments equally is needed today to end global poverty and reach the ultimate goal of another world with sustainable development.

–Leen Abdallah

Source: Huffington Post
Photo: Climate Stewards