Why failing is not for Africa

Campaigning and advocacy organization of 7 million members on Friday joined the world in celebrating the adoption of the Global Goals for Sustainable Development in New York.

The 17 new Global Goals were negotiated by leaders from 193 nations with the aim of fighting inequality, protecting our planet, and ending extreme poverty by 2030.

The historic Global Goals build on the success of the Millennium Development Goals, which helped cut malaria deaths in half, reduced new HIV infections by 40 percent, and contributed to a worldwide decline in extreme poverty of 50 percent.

Michael Elliott, the ONE Campaign’s president and CEO, said that the adoption of the Global Goals is a truly historic occasion, amounting to the world’s biggest promise to itself since the global settlement at the end of World War II.

“Ours can be the generation that ends extreme poverty and fights inequality; and the last to be threatened by climate change. That amounts to both an audacious challenge and an incredible opportunity”, said Elliot.

He also added that the Global Goals will provide a critical set of priorities for global development over the next 15 years. The goals acknowledge that no person should be forced to live in hunger or die of a preventable disease, and that poverty hits women and girls hardest.

He further explained that the Goals reflect a shared commitment to real partnership — a more sophisticated approach to global development than the world has ever seen.

“This is a once-in-a-generation moment that the world cannot afford to squander. With the world’s population due to soar in the next few decades — especially in vulnerable regions — failing to achieve the Global Goals will mean that today’s difficult problems will become tomorrow’s impossible ones. We know that words alone won’t end extreme poverty. It’s what people do with those words that matters, and whether those words are used to hold those same governments to account. It’s going to take hard work to turn these aspirations into reality, as well as an unprecedented global focus on better data and on making sure that leaders are held accountable for what they promise” Elliot added.

He urged the world leaders return to their home countries ensure that their people know about the

ONE Campaign’s Africa Executive Director, Sipho Moyo, said the Global Goals provide Africa with an opportunity to deal with the unfinished business of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).

“Whereas some remarkable achievements were recorded on some fronts, generally, MDG progress has been uneven and most African countries still lag behind on many indicators. For example, access to improved sanitation still lags far behind access to clean water. Significant gaps exist between the poorest and the richest people, between men and women, and between rural and urban settings. Consequently, failing to achieve the Global Goals is just not an option for Africa.

“But for this to happen, every one of us has a role to play in making sure our leaders deliver on what they’ve promised because Goals alone will not end extreme poverty.  Action and accountability are both critical to ensuring the global goals translate into meaningful progress,” she said.

ONE is a campaigning and advocacy organization of nearly seven million people taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. Not politically partisan, ONE raises public awareness and press political leaders to combat preventable diseases, increase investments in agriculture and nutrition, and demand greater transparency in poverty-fighting programs.