Gurirab unveils MDG report

WINDHOEK – Prime Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab launched the 2004 Millennium Development Goals report on Wednesday.

The National Planning Commission, in conjunction with the United Nations Development Programme, co-ordinated the production of the first Namibian report of the eight development goals. These goals include the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality and empowering women, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating HIV-AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensuring environmental sustainability and developing a global partnership for development.The report highlighted progress made in achieving the goals measured against Namibia’s national targets in both the Second National Development Plan and Vision 2030.”This report must accordingly serve as a platform and a tool to assist in advocating that Namibia should have the same compassionate treatment as other least developed countries.Our global partners should also meet their targets if together we are going to meet the greatest challenging goal of all – reversing the spread of HIV-AIDS,” Gurirab said.He said the launch of the report served as an important initiative to access obstacles, performances and achievements.He stressed that the report was a clear indication of the need to build national coalitions that could place these goals and targets at the centre of public debates on growth and transformation, and to encourage action on policies, priorities and budget allocations for implementation.”Our country established national targets and indicators to ensure that the MDGs and targets are consistent with the Government’s national development priorities and people-centred policy objectives,” he added.United Nations Resident Co-ordinator Jacqui Badcock said the idea was that the MDG report would help to engage political leaders and decision-makers, as well as mobilise civil society, communities, the general public and the media.She said that Government and its partners were preparing the next development assistance framework for the UN.”This would be built around a series of partnership-driven programmes among the UN agencies to effectively support the government and its partners in turning the tide against the HIV-AIDS epidemic and the threats it poses,” she noted.”We continue to stand by the Namibian people to promote human development and freedom for all and to turn the challenge of HIV-AIDS into an opportunity for a brighter future,” she said.- NampaThese goals include the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality and empowering women, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating HIV-AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensuring environmental sustainability and developing a global partnership for development.The report highlighted progress made in achieving the goals measured against Namibia’s national targets in both the Second National Development Plan and Vision 2030.”This report must accordingly serve as a platform and a tool to assist in advocating that Namibia should have the same compassionate treatment as other least developed countries.Our global partners should also meet their targets if together we are going to meet the greatest challenging goal of all – reversing the spread of HIV-AIDS,” Gurirab said.He said the launch of the report served as an important initiative to access obstacles, performances and achievements.He stressed that the report was a clear indication of the need to build national coalitions that could place these goals and targets at the centre of public debates on growth and transformation, and to encourage action on policies, priorities and budget allocations for implementation.”Our country established national targets and indicators to ensure that the MDGs and targets are consistent with the Government’s national development priorities and people-centred policy objectives,” he added.United Nations Resident Co-ordinator Jacqui Badcock said the idea was that the MDG report would help to engage political leaders and decision-makers, as well as mobilise civil society, communities, the general public and the media.She said that Government and its partners were preparing the next development assistance framework for the UN.”This would be built around a series of partnership-driven programmes among the UN agencies to effectively support the government and its partners in turning the tide against the HIV-AIDS epidemic and the threats it poses,” she noted.”We continue to stand by the Namibian people to promote human development and freedom for all and to turn the challenge of HIV-AIDS into an opportunity for a brighter future,” she said.- Nampa