Strategy key to realising MDGs – EALA

Africa must now strategically reposition itself and build alliances in a bid to promote a new and just world order, a high level African thematic consultation on the Post-2015 Development Agenda taking place in Midrand, South Africa has learnt. Consequently, calls for a new African and global development agenda that emphasizes poverty eradication and highlights sustainability for human development is considered key. In her opening remarks this week, Betty Maina, Chief Executive at Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) and a Member of the High Level Panel on the Post-2015 Agenda, stated that the globe was at crossroads with respect to the development agenda and called for a multi-dimensional approach as the new framework is developed. She termed the role of various stakeholders including that of Parliaments, civil society and media as fundamental in the dispensation.“The role of Parliament cannot be overstated. We need to enhance dialogue to find solutions to the disempowerment of youth, gender imbalance and other overarching contentious issues, especially in the emerging nations and the poorer countries,” Maina noted. The President of the Pan African Parliament (PAP),Bethel N. Amadi, noted that substantial progress had been made since the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set thirteen years ago. He cited the reduction of HIV/AIDS transmission, enhanced infrastructure, and increased enrolment of primary school youth as some of the benefits propelled by the MDGs.The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight goals that all the 193 UN member states agreed on in September 2000to achieve by the year 2015 in order to encourage development by improving social and economic conditions in the world’s poorest countries.The eight goals include eradicating extreme hunger and poverty, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality and empower women, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensuring environmental sustainability and developing a global partnership for development.As a member of the UN and a country looking for a better life for its population, Rwanda is trying to achieve these MDGs.The Speaker of EALA, Margaret N. Zziwa, noted that Parliamentarians’ accessibility to constituents were key in keeping the ‘developmental conversation’ alive. The Speaker cited open access policies and pairing schemes between Parliaments and stakeholders as a pre-cursor towards enhancing performance for better MDGs attainment and governance.The Speaker called on parliaments to enact relevant laws geared towards the realization of the objectives of the MDGs.“If you ask me, various laws should have been passed in at least each of the MDG goals, such as Education for all, poverty eradication, Maternal Health and HIV eradication, or Shelter for all ,” Zziwa remarked, while calling for the validation of existing laws.The Speaker urged the media to promote values of good governance, while adhering to objectivity and accurate reporting.The Director of Political Affairs at the African Union, Dr George Mukundi, challenged Parliamentarians to fully use the existing powers to play their oversight roles.Geraldine Fraser Moleketi, former Minister of Public Service in the Republic of South Africa, noted that elections often bore conflicts calling for a re-look and re-think into the electioneering systems. “The winner-takes-it-all modality as practiced in many constitutions can present obvious challenges and peculiarities. We should re-look into the models,” she noted.A civil society activist, Ms. Namhla Mniki-Mangaliso, noted that grassroots communities were often satisfied when issues affecting their livelihoods are solved. “There is an intolerable feeling on the ground about the lack of democratic space that defines the direction citizens want to take. Majority of these perspectives as raised by people include democratic governments, education and peace and security among others,” she added.Cyril Ndebele, Speaker Emeritus from the Parliament of Zimbabwe, noted that paradigm shifts in the post 2015 development agenda dispensation must be home-grown. The former Speaker remarked that historical and cultural identities were important in the context of the future and added that it was vital to work with traditional governance institutions including the chiefdoms. He further reiterated the need for free and fair elections and open access policies in nations to spur democracy.In attendance were parliamentarians, high ranking officials from the EAC and the continent, media, community based groups, faith based organisations, intellectuals, youth and the women groups.During plenary, discussions delved on the need to scale up rule of law, equality and empowerment of the various groups. The delegates remarked that it was necessary to evaluate the successes and challenges of the MDGs and the way forward.The aim of the two day consultation is to bring together the African experience on governance so that this may inform the new global development agenda.