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Houses of Parliament Houses of Parliament TOOLKIT FOR PARLIAMENTARIANS INTERNATIONAL PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE ON THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS REACHING FOR 2015: GOVERNANCE, ACCOUNTABILITY AND THE ROLE OF THE PARLIAMENTARIAN HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, LONDON 28 NOVEMBER - 2 DECEMBER 2011 2013 Edition THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS GOAL 1: ERADICATE EXTREME POVERTY AND HUNGER TARGET 1A Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people living on less than $1 a day. TARGET 1B Achieve full and productive employment for all including women and young people. TARGET 1C Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger. GOAL 2: ACHIEVE UNIVERSAL primary education TARGET 2A Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling. GOAL 3: PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY AND EMPOWER WOMEN TARGET 3A Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education, no later than 2015. GOAL 4: REDUCE CHILD mortality rateS TARGET 4A Reduce by two thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the mortality rate of children under five. GOAL 5: IMPROVE maternal health TARGET 5A Reduce by three quarters the maternal mortality ratio. TARGET 5B Achieve, by 2015, universal access to reproductive health. GOAL 6: COMBat HIV/AIDS, MALARIA, AND OTHER DISEASES TARGET 6A Halt and begin to reverse, by 2015, the spread of HIV/AIDS. TARGET 6B Achieve, by 2010, universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for all those who need it. TARGET 6C Halt and begin to reverse, by 2015, the incidence of malaria and other major diseases. GOAL 7: ENSURE environmental SUStainaBILITY TARGET 7A Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources. TARGET 7B Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss. TARGET 7C Halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. TARGET 7D Achieve, by 2020, a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers. GOAL 8: DEVELOP A GLOBAL partnerSHIP FOR DEVELOPMENT TARGET 8A Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system TARGET 8B Address the special needs of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) TARGET 8C Address the special needs of landlocked developing countries and small island developing States TARGET 8D Deal comprehensively with the debt problems of developing countries through national and international measures in order to make debt sustainable in the long term TARGET 8E In co-operation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable, essential drugs in developing countries TARGET 8F In co-operation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications IPCMDG CONFERENCE TOOLKIT FACTSHEET 1 FACTSHEET INTRODUCTION From 28 November – 2 December 2011 the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK Branch (CPA UK) hosted the first International Parliamentary Conference on the Millennium Development Goals at the Houses of Parliament, London. Entitled ‘Reaching for 2015: Governance, Accountability and the Role of the Parliamentarian’, the conference drew together parliamentarians from over 33 countries to discuss their role as legislators and identify key areas of parliamentary activity to accelerate progress toward the 2015 MDG deadline and beyond. The material in this toolkit draws on the proceedings of this conference to provide guidance for members of parliament to incorporate the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) into their work. The MDGs represent one of the greatest promises ever made to improve the lives of millions of people who live in poverty and are denied basic rights and dignity. All people have a stake and a role to play in achieving the MDGs. This is especially true for parliamentarians who, as public representatives, must be advocates for the poorest and most marginalised. With the 2015 deadline rapidly approaching, a massive and sustained surge of political will is required to ensure maximum progress. Parliamentarians in all countries have a vital role to play in providing this leadership. The toolkit provides information and advice to help parliamentarians to become actively involved in reaching the MDGs. Given the competing demands and heavy workload of parliamentarians this toolkit is designed to provide a brief, user-friendly tool which parliamentarians can use flexibly according to their individual interests and parliamentary role. In this publication you will find: • An introduction to the MDGs, their historical background, current status and key future milestones. • Tips on how parliamentarians can contribute to the MDGs through their combined responsibilities of lawmaking, oversight and representation. • Up-to-date facts and figures, case-studies of effective parliamentary work, and suggestions for future activities for each of the 8 goals. • A look ahead at what might come after the MDGs and ideas for how parliamentarians can contribute to shaping the international development agenda post 2015. • A list of references and resources to assist parliamentarians in their work. Working to achieve the MDGs should not be seen as an additional responsibility for parliamentarians but should form part of their day-to-day work, in both donor and developing countries. Across the world, parliaments are increasingly taking a proactive role, flexing their constitutional muscles by getting involved in preparing and monitoring national development plans, advocating for pro- poor policies and legislation and seeking greater equality for marginalised groups. These actions add great impetus to the achievement of the MDGs. A critical challenge for the MDGs and parliaments is ensuring women’s equal participation both as legislators and in the formal and informal decision- making processes that determine a country’s development trajectory. This is THE EIGHT not just their right. Women’s greater participation in public and political life is MILLENNIUM also associated with more positive development outcomes. The participation DEVELOPEMENT of other historically marginalised groups must be a further objective. GOALS This work cannot be carried out in isolation. It is part of the wider mobilisation required across all institutions of society to achieve sustainable, equitable development. In this publication you will find examples of practical policies and activities that can be undertaken in partnership with all stakeholders, including an emphasis on the important relationship between parliament and civil society. The toolkit is part of CPA UK’s work to foster cooperation and understanding between parliaments, promote good parliamentary practice and advance parliamentary democracy. CPA UK is one of the largest branches of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, the professional association of all Commonwealth parliamentarians. CPA UK’s membership is made up of Members from both Houses of the United Kingdom Parliament and the organisation undertakes international parliamentary outreach on behalf of the Houses of Parliament and the wider CPA. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thanks go firstly to all those who participated in the International Parliamentary Conference on the Millennium Development Goals. Their contributions and discussions throughout the conference formed the basis for this toolkit. Special thanks go to those who have contributed case studies of their work in promoting the MDGs. These include Hon Ms Sylvia Ssinabulya MP from Uganda, Dr Omar Ndoye MP from Senegal, Ms Aleksandra Blagojevik of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and Mr Chris Stephenson of Globe International. In addition we are very grateful to those who provided helpful comments on previous drafts or sections of the Toolkit. Thanks to Professor Myles Wickstead (Commission for Africa), Svend Robinson (The Global Fund), Dyfan Jones (International Parliamentary Strengthening Consultant), and Vic Crawford (Africa All Party Parliamentary Group UK). The toolkit was written by Barry Johnston (CPA UK) Toolkit designed and collated by Matthew Salik (CPA UK) IPCMDG CONFERENCE TOOLKIT F BACKGROUND AC “We will spare no effort to free our fellow men, women and children from the abject and dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty, to which more than a billion of them are currently subjected. We are committed to making the right to development a reality for everyone and to freeing the entire human race from want.”1 In the year 2000, Heads of State from across the world gathered in New York to sign the Millennium Declaration. The declaration set an agenda for TSHEET 2 international relations in the 21st Century and had at its core the commitment to fight against the dehumanising poverty and inequality that affects vast numbers of the world’s population. Included in this was a statement of values governments agreed should guide their actions in the new Millennium: • Freedom: Men and women have the right to live their lives and raise their children in dignity, free from hunger and from the fear of violence, oppression or injustice. Democratic and participatory governance based on the will of the people best assures these rights. • Equality: No individual and no nation must be denied the opportunity to benefit from development. The equal rights and opportunities of women and men must be assured. • Solidarity: Global challenges

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