The Millennium Development Goals

The Millennium Development Goals The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were agreed upon at the Millennium Summit in September 2000. More heads of states (189 nations) and governments came together than ever before, a benchmark in itself. They pledged to work together to make a better world for all by 2015. Unanimously signing adopting a package, aimed at eradicating social injustices inequalities; extreme poverty, getting all kids to school, including girls; gender equality, fighting maternal mortality and child mortality, reversing the AIDS pandemic ensuring sustainable development in an environmental sense. These committing nations agreed upon a new global partnership to ensure these goals were met and set out a series of time bound targets, with a deadline to be met by 2015. The MDGs are the most ambitious and most broadly supported development goals ever to be established. The Millennium Development Goals are a set of eight goals, which pledge to liberate men, women and children from the dehumanising conditions of extreme poverty and make the right to development a reality for everyone. Listed below are the eight goals: Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women Goal 4: Reduce child mortality Goal 5: Improve maternal health Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development The eight MDGs break down into 21 quantifiable targets that are measured by 60 indicators. The MDGs are more than just goals, they are seen to provide an overarching framework for the development efforts, and benchmarks against which to judge success (Health and the millennium development goals By World Health Organization). They set out a clear precise agenda as to what is required to help realise the goals. Each goal has been designed so that it is easy to understand, easy to implement and easy to measure in order to help improve the lives of the impoverished people of the world. The fact that MDGs are concrete, time bound and deliberately designed to be measurable (which lends to a sense of accountability) makes the MDGs feel more tangible people everywhere can immediately relate to them; they speak to the immediate concerns and basic needs of everyone globally. Measurability is seen as an integral characteristic of the MDGs, it is through this that the United Nations is able to assess how close it is to achieving one of the most ambitious agreement accords in its history. Furthermore, this also leads to governments being held accountable for any irregularities that may arise or for failure to implement successfully the eight MDGs within their nation states. The MDGs reflect an unprecedented commitment by the worlds leaders to tackle the most basic forms of injustice and inequality in our world; poverty, illiteracy and ill health. (Health and the millennium development goals By World Health Organization). The importance of the MDGs cannot be overstated. Firstly, as set out in the Millennium Summit the aim of the MDGs is to liberate the billion plus people who currently live in extreme poverty. A common proverb the world over is the rich get richer whilst the poor get poorer. However, with the MDGs it seems that the stigmatisation on the richer nations is slowly being rendered obsolete. Secondly, reducing the number of people in poverty matters for security and stability. Research shows, for example, that a negative shock on income growth increases the probability of a civil war substantially (United Nations Millennium Development Project 2005) (Financial sector development and the Millennium Development Goals By Stijn Claessens, Erik Feijen). A prime example is that of the ever worsening situation in Sudans Darfur region, where the scarcity of sanitised water has seen some of the worst humanitarian crisis of the 21st Century, with more than 200,000 Darfuris dead and 2 million having f led their homes. Thirdly, economic wealth for the poor creates new worldwide growth opportunities, by opening new consumer markets and commercial activity; the 4 to 5 billion underserved people are estimated to represent economic opportunity of $13 trillion (Financial sector development and the Millennium Development Goals By Claessens. S, Feijen. E). Arguably the biggest stumbling block for poorer nations being unable to attain the seventh MDG of ensuring environmental sustainability, is entirely down to the developed nations insistency on tariffs, quotas subsidies. All of which have made it extremely difficult for developing nations to earn a living on their produce. The message the MDGs are trying embed in our minds is, that the issues being faced around the world are not the sole responsibility of the heads of states of the developing nations or developed nations, but it is a collective responsibility that the people of this world must share and be held accountable for. The biggest problem is that heads of state and ministers often go to meetings, sign something incredible, and then they take the plane back from the UN to return to business as usual. It takes all of us to achieve these goals, this is excruciatingly important because we have to make our governments accountable for the promises they have made. Government after government and country after country after country. The UN is able to provide a platform but it does not have any instrument to force compliance. So it falls upon us, in civil societies who are the most important campaigners. We put the politicians and leaders in power to give us a voice and so we must in turn use our voice s to make the governments enforce the MDGs and implement a plan for achieving them by the target date of 2015. Successful implementation of the MDGs with the right guidance can lead to some concrete results. If we take a look at some midway progression figures; taken from the European Commission on Development File, then we can clearly see the impact the MDGs have made in the lives of millions of people. Some Impressive Progress 120 million people out of poverty between 2000 and 2005, or 2.4 per cent annual drop 2 million lives saved through reduced child mortality 30 million additional 6 12 children going to school 30 million additional families having access to drinking water Boys and girls in equal numbers in primary school However, the progress being made is vastly uneven and still too slow in some areas of the world. The reason for the decrease in global poverty is for the most part due to rapid growth in giant Asian countries such as China, India Indonesia. Yet on the other hand, achieving goals such as reducing child mortality rates and access to sanitised water seem way further off track. Furthermore, there seems to be strong inconsistencies across regions and countries in implementing the MDGs, with countless developing countries projected not to meet most of them. While ambitious the MDGs are considered achievable. The Millennium Project has argued that for the first time in history the world is rich enough to eradicate extreme poverty. The Millennium Project calculated that achieving the MDGs requires funds equal to 0.5 percent of Gross National Product (GNP) of developed countries (Financial sector development and the Millennium Development Goals By Stijn Claessens, Erik Feijen). This highlights an important fact, that if implemented and rigorously followed through, the developed countries have enough resources to help eradicate extreme poverty. The rich countries have never been richer. But the efforts that they are doing in terms of giving aid to poor countries is, in terms of percentages of national wealth, less than it was ten, twenty or thirty years ago. It is not just financial assistance that needs to be rectified; too many poor countries in Africa are paying far more back to the rich countries for old debts, than they can afford to pay for the primary health and education of their people. Debt relief must be provided to ensure that developing countries are not forgoing the money for development to help them make their repayments. Furthermore, the trade barriers make it impossible for farmers in developing countries to make a living. In Europe farmers are subsidised to the extent that they produce more than they can ever swallow and then they dump the excess on the markets in poor African countries. In the US the problem is all too similar, where cotton subsidies have led to the collapse of world prices for cotton. West African countries that produce cotton are unable to sell their stuff produce anymore. If and when these trade issues are rectified, then only can the developing countries seriously think of progressing their develop ment through the MDGs. Conclusion The MDGs came about through the mutual agreement of the worlds leaders from developed nations to developing nations, each having their own role to play in aiming to help improve the lives of billions of impoverished people. They agreed upon eight goals, covering poverty, hunger, health, child mortality, womens rights, the environment and a global partnership on development. It is the primary responsibility of the poorer countries to achieve the first seven goals. They must do more to integrate the MDGs into their policies, plans and budgets and translate them into services for the poor. There is a need for more transparency and accountability so the progress being made, or lack of, is clear for all to see so allows for the people to hold their governments accountable for the promises they made. The MDGs are mutually binding, so the poor countries cannot achieve their first seven goals unless rich countries fulfil their responsibilities set out in goal eight; Develop a Global Partner ship for Development. The developed countries need to give more and to make sure what they are giving is used more effectively. They also need to offer more debt relief and increase trade opportunities for poor countries by reducing tariffs and subsidies to agriculture which deny farmers from poor countries their best chance of earning a decent living. The importance of the Millennium Development Goals, is to implement a clear framework from which the world is able to reduce the social injustices and inequalities. It is to get the minds and mouths of the ordinary person working so they continue to strive to achieve the goals, way beyond the expectations of politicians. Their attainment, which is possible, lies in the hands of every single individual.

Writing in a Relaxed Atmosphere

Writing in a relaxed atmosphere, for me, was extremely hard to do in the beginning. As a single mother of two little ones, my mind constantly races through the ins and outs of our daily life. Once I finally found my very own quiet time and place, the words came freely and surprisingly, so did the emotion I have worked so hard to keep under control. In searching for my very own â€Å"relaxed atmosphere†, I took a blanket and chair out to the campsite that my husband and I camped at shortly after we wed. My husband, Kevin, committed suicide in March of 2009. As the assignment was given in class, I knew exactly who I would write to. Though unsure of what I would say, to whom I would write was never a question. Sitting alone thinking of what I would say, I realized why writing in solitude could be very beneficial. With daily distractions, my concentration is easily broken causing me to lose my train of thought. Writing a letter to Kevin in a place that held many special memories helped me to embrace the emotions and thoughts that I ignore daily. As I got comfortable with being alone, this is a rare occasion for me, I was shocked when the words just came. While the words in the letter came to me with great ease, the essay was more difficult. Even knowing that this was a letter that will never be read by the person it was wrote to, I am extremely thankful for this assignment. I found the seclusion to be soothing, comforting and for once felt that I could be honest about how his actions made me feel. The noises found in nature were distracting for me at first. After I really got going, the sounds faded away causing me to lose track of time I spent on the letter itself. To me, it seems solitude and writing go hand in hand. The silence and lack of distraction allowed me to write freely and without interruption. Since this was a personal letter and it was something I was comfortable writing, I embraced the alone time. However, I can see that if I were writing about something that was not of interest to me, it would be hard to do alone.

Medical Ethics And Health Care - 836 Words

Health care is always an ever-changing field and embodiment of knowledge with passionate and wise health care professionals who want to make positive differences. There are infinite health care resources to read, understand, and use the valuable information to better the health care environment. Whether health care professionals work in nursing homes, clinics, health centers, hospitals, or outpatient centers it’s a desire to research pertinent websites. The seven websites mentioned are imperative to every health care manager and administrator. There is a constant need to learn and be informed of changes, new laws, codes, and health care education. Many health care websites are very relevant to the growing health care world, but some websites are highly important to health care ethics. One of the websites that pertains to health care ethics is the Institute of Medical Ethics (IME). This website holds a wide variety of medical ethics information ranging from current news, events , and journal stories of right versus wrong and physician stories. This website was designed to improve medical care ethics and discussions of significant issues in the health care profession and around the world. Many topics of research has been covered by (IME) such as, HIV/AIDS, nursing ethics, violence, medical ethics, prolonging life and assisting death. (IME) is a membership organization, conducts teaching and learning worldwide, and holds conferences in the UK. Another health care ethicsShow MoreRelatedManaging Medical Ethics and Legal Requirements in a Primary Care and Health Environment4892 Words   |  20 PagesLevel 5 Diploma in Primary Care and Health Management 4419-601 Managing Medical Ethics and Legal Requirements in a Primary Care and Health Environment TABLE OF CONTENTS TASK | PAGE | Task 1Managing medical ethics is a fundamental part of a Manager’s role. It is the responsibility of the Manager to understand the guiding principles of medical ethics and apply them within the organisation | | a) Reflect on the journey of medical ethics and interpret how the principles of theRead More Codes of Ethics in Health Care Essay995 Words   |  4 Pagesprovide a procedure if a code violation occurs. Medical ethics began as a professional code for physicians and has now expanded and includes a variety of health care professions and health care organizations. The growth of medical knowledge and technology have grown so have the concerns that ethical standards and issues facing our society today may be compromised or not appropriately addressed (Littleton et al., 2010). Identify Codes of Ethics Applicable in My Professional Practice I am aRead MoreProfessional Practice Issues Of Health Care Essay1072 Words   |  5 PagesProfessional Practice Issues in Health Care - Ethics Introduction Medical ethics play a huge role in the health care industry. A crucial part of a health care professional s role is to apply appropriate ethical guidelines into clinical settings. Due to its importance there is unlimited amount of references available in different forms regarding to this specific topic, however, the quality, reliability and relevance of each reference can remain questioned and requires further consideration. InRead MoreEthical Healthcare Issues Essay1193 Words   |  5 PagesWanda Douglas Health Law and Ethics/HCS 545 October 17, 2011 Nancy Moody Ethical Healthcare Issues Paper In today’s health care industry providing quality patient care and avoiding harm are the foundations of ethical practices. However, many health care professionals are not meeting the guidelines or expectations of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) or obeying the organizations code of ethics policies, especially with the use of electronic medical records (EMR). ManyRead MoreEthics And Public Health Ethics851 Words   |  4 Pagesdistinguishable differences between medical ethics and public health ethics. Medical ethics pertain primarily to the individual that is involved in the care paradigm (Coleman, Bouà «sseau, Reis, Capron, 2007). Public health ethics, by contrast, are focused primarily on the health of the population as a whole. The American Public Health Association has published its own code of public health ethics that it felt most appropriately provided guiding principles to the public health sector (Thomas, Sage, DillenbergRead MoreProfessional A nd Personal Application Statement1580 Words   |  7 Pagesthe ethical challenges and issues that will be faced, as well as communicating the importance of ethics to other nursing professionals (Jormsri et al., 2005). In order to be prepared to handle the task of addressing ethical issues, both on a personal and professional level as an advanced practice nurse, it is necessary to demonstrate a comprehension of nursing ethics and to consider how those ethics will be integrated into professional practice. The ethical challenges that will be faced as a nursingRead MoreThe Ethics And Values Of Healthcare912 Words   |  4 PagesEthics according to the Webster dictionary, â€Å"rules of behavior based on ideas about what is morally good and bad; ethics; an area of study that deals with ideas about what is good and bad behavior; a branch of philosophy dealing with what is morally right or wrong; a belief that something is very important.† (Merriam-Webster, 2015) My own definiti on of ethic is practicing kindness, respect, and fairness. Taking credit for the work you have done regardless good or bad. I believe children shouldRead MoreThe Importance Of Ethics And Values On Clinical Practices1179 Words   |  5 PagesThe Importance of Ethics and Values in Clinical Practices The importance of an ethical basis for medical practice has been emphasized in recent years. Several groups and countries have called for a broadly embraced, basic curriculum in ethics for students in the medical profession (Lakhan, Hamlat, McNamee, Laird, 2009). The United States has no standardized curriculum in medical ethics, but ethics courses are now common in medical schools (Lakhan, Hamlat, McNamee, Laird, 2009). ProfessionalRead MorePatient Safety Is Vital For The Practice Of Medicine979 Words   |  4 PagesPatient safety is vital in the practice of medicine. In medical laboratory science, we may not have a direct contact with the patient, but every duty we perform can affect the outcome of the patient’s health. Patient safety involves being able to collect samples and follow the protocols for the test result. Accuracy in medicine may be a very high standard, but it is worth it when it comes to a patient’s life. A medical practitioner should always have th e expectation not to incur more harm on theRead MoreChapter 1 Essay1002 Words   |  5 PagesChapter 1 Review 1. List three areas where health care practitioners can gain insight through studying law and ethics. The three areas are the rights, responsibilities, and concerns of health care con summers. The legal and ethical issues facing society, patients, and health care practitioners as the world changes. The impact of rising cost on the laws and ethics of healthcare delivery. 2. Define summary judgment. Summary judgment is the legal term for a decision made by court in

Personal Swot Analysis Essay - 1022 Words

PERSONAL SKILLS - SELF DIAGNOSTICS 1) Personal SWOT analysis. Strengths.  · Confident - I feel that I am a very confident person, in a number of different aspects. Im confident when presenting to a large crowd, confident in my academic ability, aswell as confident in putting my ideas across to another.  · Sociable - I am a very sociable person, and like to be around friends alot of the time. I am easy to get along with, and believe that people enjoy my company. I like to go out and socialise and play football on weekends with friends.  · Approachable - I am a very approachable person, my friends know they are able to come to me for anything, from advice for personal issues, to help with work.  · Caring - I am an†¦show more content†¦i believe i am a funny person in general, so people tend to be easy around me and not feel uncomfortable if they do not know me.  · Balanced lifestyle - My work life, university and social life are balanced well. I have many interests in sport, learning and music, and i find it relatively easy to prioritise and balance different aspects of my life. I know what is more important if i had to make a decision. Weaknesses.  · Time Management - I find myself to be a poor time keeper, and my general awareness of time could be better.  · IT ability - I havent studied IT since the age of 13, and as i am now 21. i have poor knowledge of programs like excel. Although i am able to use other office programs like Word, and Powerpoint adequately.  · Motivation - i need to be interested in a topic/module in order for me to motivate myself quickly, its the first push i need to get me started.  · Unorganised - I am quite unorganised, and tend to misplace items.  · Peer Pressure - Being a typical university student, i can sometimes succumb to the preessure of flat mates peer pressuring into going on a night out, when i need to look after money, or get up early.  · Method of revision - i have multiple ways of revising work completed throughout the year, this can act as a weakness as it takes time for me to realise the best method.  · Too Sociable - Can beShow MoreRelatedPersonal Swot Analysis1420 Word s   |  6 PagesSWOT Analysis:Evaluate Your 7 Strengths 7 Weaknesses When speaking about a SWOT Analysis, this is a way of doing some serious self-reflecting and figuring out what your internal as well as external strengths and weaknesses are. Think of it as a pro and con list about you! SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. While we are hesitant to use the word â€Å"weakness† as it is very negative, using the word â€Å"shortcomings† doesn’t make as catchy an acronym (SWOS) as SWOT! Read MoreSwot Analysis : My Personal Swot1746 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction: This paper is my personal SWOT analysis. The SWOT analysis discusses four specific categories to evaluate a project, situation or in my case my personal and professional life (Hay, Castilla, 2006). In this analysis I will look at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that I need to address in my life. The concept of this type of analysis is a great way to find out ways to improve, but at the same time is a difficult task for someone like me who has a hard time outwardlyRead MorePersonal Swot Analysis Essay example1143 Words   |  5 PagesPersonal SWOT Analysis The career objective that I have in my life is to have started my own business or be a owner of business. The information that follows will be presented in a SWOT analysis format that describes me and more in depth with my current career objective. My first topic will touch on my strengths, followed by my weakness, then opportunities, and finally threats to me not reaching my objective. Strengths My biggest strength toward reaching my objective is my tack that IRead MorePersonal SWOT Analysis994 Words   |  4 Pages2. A SWOT analysis helps to identify the different things I bring to a potential employer, and a few things that are weaknesses that will work against me. The personal SWOT is as follows: Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Good education Lack of experience Banking More experienced candidates Financial experience Lack of mgmt. experience Non-banking opportunities Mediocre economy Work ethic No references? Move to a different area? Industry downturn Systems thinking Read MoreMy Personal Swot Analysis854 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction: SWOT analysis is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture. The aim of any SWOT analysis is to identify the key internal and external factors that are important to achieving the objective. The internal factors may be viewed as strengths or weaknesses depending upon their impact on the organizations objectives. What may represent strengths with respect to one objective may be weaknessesRead MoreSwot Analysis of Personal Digital Assitants1287 Words   |  6 PagesSWOT Analysis of PDA Introduction Personal Digital Assistant is a very promising consumer technology product, having great applications in various aspects of life. PDAs have various uses in calculation, accessing the Internet, sending /receiving E-mails, video recording, typewriting and word processing, writing on spreadsheets, scanning bar codes, playing computer games and recording survey responses. SWOT Analysis of a PDA: A PDA has a number of strengths to consolidate upon, but the lackRead MoreSwot Analysis UUM695 Words   |  3 PagesUNIVERSITI UTARA MALAYSIA Faculty of Information Technology SWOT Analysis IT POLICY AND STRATEGY Prepared for A.P.D. Wan Rozaini bt Sheik Osman Prepared by Mustafa Musa Jaber (801607) 2009 May 15, 2015 1 content A. Outline 1.Introdection 2.Definitions of SWOT Analysis 2.1.Strength 2.2.Weakness 2.3.Opportunities 2.4.Threats 3. Starbucks 4. Conclusion May 15, 2015 2 A. Outline Through this presentation :ï‚ §Definition of SWOT Analysis ï‚ §Strength ï‚ §Weakness ï‚ §Opportunities ï‚ §Threat ï‚ §Starbucks May 15Read MoreSwot Analysis Of At T1243 Words   |  5 PagesThe purpose of this paper is to perform a brief SWOT analysis of ATT, Inc. This analysis will assess some of the strengths and weaknesses in the organizations internal environment and also the opportunities and threats in its external environment. SWOT Analysis of ATT ATT, Inc. provides telecommunication services and products, including wireless communications, local exchange services, long-distance services, data/broadband and Internet services, video services, telecommunications equipment,Read MoreSwot Analysis For Recruiting Production Leaders927 Words   |  4 Pages A SWOT analysis is used to help a company determine is strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats within the organization. â€Å"SWOT analysis can generally help to portray a strategic organizational situation and to identify what information is needed and what decisions are likely to be made on a personal as well as an organizational level† (as cited in Chermack Kasshanna, 2007, p. 384). This type of analysis helps identify problems that are affecting the company and it may even highlight newRead MoreSwot Analysis: the Fitness Center Industry Essay1569 Words   |  7 PagesSWOT Analysis: Fitness Centers Industry Courtney Albertson PHL/320 30 March 2015 Matthew Hazlett SWOT Analysis: Fitness Center Industry It today’s society, â€Å"going to the gym† has become a normal phrase heard around the world; however, the fitness center industry is not exactly in the spot light of today’s media and headline news. So, that sparks the interest of what makes the fitness center industry succeed, what are their strengths. What about the fitness center industry in the future;