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Post UN Millennium Development Goal

The Millennium Development Goals – 8 goals, 20 targets, and 60+ indicators declared in UN 2000 – have come to an end this year. Those countries who have failed to achieve the target set in UNMDP have not much time left to catch up now. The states who have failed to achieve the targets will again have a similar chance to complete in coming next 15 years, under the new UN development agenda named as “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”.

India accepted only 12 out of 18 targets based on UNDG’s MDG 2003 framework and 35 indicators. India has performed well and 60% of the targets have been met before the deadline but some remained hard to achieve given the size of the target.  In this article, a brief analysis will be presented on India’s performance and post- 2015 development agenda.

How much India has achieved:

According to Millennium Development Goals Report 2015, India has achieved the required target of halving the poverty from 49.4% in 1994 to 22.7% in 2011. However, the quantum of people living in poverty is still higher than many countries including Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal. While the report shows that India has performed well in most of the set targets, the country remains home to 25% of the total undernourished people in the world, and 33% of world’s food-insecure people.

India has achieved 11 out of 22 parameters ranging from poverty reduction, health, education, etc. Though India has halved the population falling under poverty line, but felt short to achieve other targets such as maternal mortality and access to sanitation.

On the environment front, India remains one of the few countries which has reduced its carbon emissions as India emitted only 0.53 kg carbon dioxide per $1 GDP thus reducing by more than 15%.

Post-2015 development agenda

Post development agenda will be discussed in UN general assembly from 25 to 27 September 2015 in New York. The discussion will be held on the document entitled “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. In this new agenda the focus will be given to eradication of the poverty and sustainable development along with universal peace in larger freedom. The underachieved targets will be included and sustainable development will be the core agenda in the draft. It is said that countries might have to comply with the UN agenda as it will be focused more on global warming and other critical issues – the changed focus might become a hurdle for the developing countries. Though the world is much united at the front of sustainable development and the fight against global warming but developed and developing countries don’t have consensus on this regard and it may become a problematic area for the cooperation.

The preamble of new document indicates the focus will be on the “critical importance for humanity and the planet”. There is no doubt that it is a crafted agenda for betterment of every country. But it is also well known that institutions are used by developed countries for their national interests and UN is no different for them. So, might be the new goals are aligned with the vested interests of these countries. It can be analysed and testified only when the final resolution is passed on the agenda in the general assembly.

Nachiket Nishant loves to write on issues related to politics and international affairs. He has done his masters in international relations. Currently, he is a lead policy researcher at The Indian Iris.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of The Indian Iris and The Indian Iris does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.

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