political reasons, to pass pertinent legislation, for instance on children’s vaccinations, climate change or gender equality, or to effectively hold the government accountable on the way public funds have been allocated to maternal health, children’s vaccination and primary education. The United Nations Development Programme, which in 2010 with partners including the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association created a new portal dedicated to Parliamentary Strengthening named Agora (www.agora-parl.org), is fully committed to the process of knowledge sharing for Parliaments, on MDGs as well as on other aspects of their work. The UNDP has also, more specifically on MDGs,
disseminated useful knowledge through a handbook jointly
produced with UN Millennium Campaign and published in 2010. This handbook, entitled Parliamentary Engagement with the Millennium Development Goals,5 includes explanations about the MDGs themselves; but it also provides advice and guidance that can be easily used to ensure Parliaments are well informed about the MDGs and can explain why and how Parliaments can engage with the MDGs in the legislative process, the oversight function as well as through budget scrutiny. The handbook also comprises numerous examples and a checklist that Parliaments can use as a tool to assess their own performance and identify the remaining weaknesses that need to be addressed. The UNDP has a long history of working with the CPA in
support of Commonwealth Parliaments. From the Caribbean to Africa to South Asia and the Pacific, the CPA’s member Parliaments have benefitted from this partnership. With the deadline for achieving the MDGs by 2015 fast approaching, the UNDP stands ready to work with all Parliaments to ensure they are able to play their important role in meeting these important goals.
Footnotes 1. For instance, India not only harbours 301 million citizens living below the poverty line, but also 2.1 million of the 9.7 million children dying each year before they reach the age of five, as well as around 35 per cent of the undernourished children (“Local MDG Monitoring in India”, UN Millennium Campaign/PRIA resource book, 2011). 2. According to a face-to-face survey conducted with a worldwide sample of MPs by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), even
if 80 per cent of the MPs desire an increase in their Parliament’s involvement in and support of the MDGs, half of them do not believe that their colleague follow the progress or achievement of these goals (MPs speak out: A glimpse into Parliamentarians’ perceptions of the Millennium Development Goals, IPU, 2010). 3. “Analytical study of Parliamentary Mechanisms for MDGs”, report from the IPU in collaboration with the United Nations Millennium Campaign (UNMC), 2010. 4. South Africa, Millennium Development Goals, Country Report for 2010, Concept Paper
(http://www.statssa.gov.za/nss/documents/ Concept%20Paper%20for%20MDG%202 010%20Final%20Draft_2_3__aposteriori.p df). 5. Parliamentary Engagement with the Millennium Development Goals – A manual for Use in Parliaments, 2010, UNDP/UN Millennium Campaign (http://www.endpoverty2015.org/files/MC_ web_version_HighRes.pdf).