International Development Committee on Post-2015 MDGs

On 22 January, the International Development Committee published a report on the post 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In the report, the Committee supports Prime Minister Cameron’s emphasis on the eradication on poverty. Rt Hon Sir Malcolm Bruce, chair of the committee stated "Aiming to eradicate extreme poverty is ambitious, of course, but for the first time in human history it is also eminently achievable. The MDGs have been successful in halving extreme poverty, but progress has been very unequal. Now is the time to focus on those who have been left behind."
The Committee, however, also emphasized the interdependence of poverty eradication and other goals, such as environmental sustainability. Moreover, the Committee stated that the underlying targets and indicators be specific to individual countries' circumstances, in order not to hide disparities between countries. As an example the Committee gave the MDG target to halve the proportion of people without access to safe water. Although this target has already been achieved, largely due to rapid progress in China and India, sub-Saharan Africa remains off-track. According to the Committee, there are other disparities which should be taken into account in the post-2015 MDGs, including data such as gender and region.
The Prime Minister stated that successful development needed to be underpinned by a 'golden thread' of governance-related issues. This view is supported by the International Development  Committee; however they would like to see the Prime Minster give a clear and consistent definition of what he means by the 'Golden Thread'.

The High-level Panel on the Post-2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will next meet in Monrovia, Liberia from 30 January to 2 February 2013.

Source: Parliament.uk