UNDP Study Guide

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NOTTINGHAM INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE 2011

STUDY GUIDE

The United NationsDevelopment Programme

(UNDP)


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CONTENTS

Committee Personnel & Contact 02

Agenda 1: The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) progress and

limitations

03

Introduction 03 Background and Issues 04

Agenda 2: Challenges of developing infrastructure in Africa. 07

Introduction 07 Background 07 Key Issues 08

Bibliography 12

Committee Contacts

Committee Presidents: Kinner Shah

Head Chair: Jerrick Lim

Assistant Chairs: Kavita Kalaichelvan and Alice Ko

Contact Address: [email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Agenda 1

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) progress and limitations

Introduction

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were established by world leaders at the United

Nations Millennium Summit in the year 2000, after declaring their commitment to tackling

extreme poverty by 2015. The United Nations Millennium Summit was one of the largest

gatherings in history, that to establish a framework upon which the MDGs will be set.

The United Nations Millennium Declaration is a resolution adopted in agreement by over 150

heads of state from around the world in order to create global governance. The declaration was

the ultimate outcome at the UN Millennium Summit in September 2000, which highlights that

a set of fundamental values is essential which reflects the functioning of a global society.

These include: freedom (from hunger, poverty and violence), equality (amongst men and

women), solidarity, tolerance (of different beliefs and cultures), sustainable development and

shared responsibility (global economic and social development multilaterally).

Alliances in support of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): the achievement of the

MDGs is led by The Millennium Promise Alliance, the first non-governmental organization to

solely commit in supporting the achievement of the MDGs by 2015. The alliance consists of a

group of directors led by Jeffrey D. Sachs (Millennium Promise Co-founder and Director of the

earth institute at Columbia University). The Millennium Forum also served in support as a

platform, where many non-governmental organizations and other civil society actors came in

cooperation with one another addressing measures and proposals in the aim to strengthen the

effectiveness of the development goals. In the 2000, the former Secretary-General expressedthe view that if the United Nations were to continue to play a vital role in the century ahead it

would be imperative that it benefit from the imagination and engage the support of the

worlds people.

The combined support of various leaders and organizations resulted in all 192 members and

over 23 international organizations committing to achieve the MDGs consisting of 8 goals and

18 targets by 2015.

What are the Millennium Development Goals? the MDGs are eight international development

agreements, which all 192 UN Member states committed to achieving by 2015. The undertakingof creating specific measurable targets linked to key indicators was to facilitate positive

development growth in order to drive forwards tangible action for change. The eight

international agreements reflect upon issues relating to health, education, poverty,

environmental sustainability and international coordination for funding. The agreement also

strongly enforces the idea of financial and personnel support of developed nations to

developing nations.


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Moreover, these goals serve as specific benchmarks to accurately measure the progress made

which can be assessed using over 60 indicators including the unemployment rate, literacy rate,

infant mortality rate, rate including the proportion of people living below the $1 a day and

many others. Based upon measuring the progress of countries outlined by the key objectives

and targets set in the MDGs, countries are able to implement individual policies needed to

achieve these goals adjusted to individual countrys needs.

It is forecasted that after achieving the targets, these goals will have reduced global poverty by

half as stated in MDG1, MDG4 and MDG 5.

Background

After the end of the Cold War, it is argued that the world entered a new era dominated by the

forces of liberalism and capitalism that would be responsible to stimulate growth and

development. On that note, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) was the consensus

declared by world leaders to end poverty and the serious challenges faced by the global

developing society as a whole. As clearly stated in the UNDP Human development report 2005,

the greatest challenge that the international community faces, arguably, is the challenge of

meeting the targets set in the MDGs by deadline 2015.

In a review conducted by Go,

Harmsen & Timmer (2010), they

argue that low-income countries

particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa,

did relatively well during the

recent global economic crisis, and

developing countries are now

recovering better than expected.However, as seen on Box 1 and

chart 1, the progress on the

Millennium Development Goals

will be slow for many years.

The progress made in economic

growth and poverty reduction

before the financial crisis will not

be matched for some time.

Deviations in MDG progress fromthe precrisis trends may prolong

until approximately 2020, five

years after the 2015 target date

for achieving the goals.


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International financial institutions and the

international community have responded

quickly and strongly to the crisis, however,

need to do more to help developing

countries regain momentum towardsachieving the MDGs by the target date.

Overall progress on poverty reduction was

particularly strong, especially in Africa

during the precrisis period. Human

development indicators improved

significantly before 2008, due to the rapid

acceleration of economic growth in many

developing nation states after the early

1990s. Other than poverty, improvement

was shown in primary education, gender

parity ratios in primary and secondary

education, and reliable access to safe and

clean water. However, the outcome is not

as positive in answer, in relation to the

other MDGs particularly those with health

targets.

Prospects are looking grim for the MDGs

relating to health, such as the infant

mortality. For example, between 1990 and

2008, the under-5 mortality rate indeveloping countries declined from 101

deaths for every 1000 live births to 73,

showing notable progress, but not

significant enough to meet the MDG 4 of

reducing under-5 mortality by two thirds.

Moreover, in 2008, 9 million children died

from preventable diseases, compared with

13 million deaths in 1990. Currently, Sub-

Saharan Africa has 20 percent of the

worlds children classified under the age 5but caters for 50 percent of all child deaths.

Maternal health is the least likely of the

MDGs to meet the 2015 target. Around

10,000 women die every week from

treatable complications of pregnancy and

childbirth. Although significant progress

has been seen since the 1990s, the rate at


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which this target is being achieved is rather slow. Maternal deaths fell from 422 for every

100,000 live births in 1980 to 320 in 1990 and finally to 251 in 2008 (Finance & Development,

2010). In Sub-Saharan Africa, the central and eastern regions have shown some improvement

since 1990, but the southern and western regions depressed because of the number of

pregnant women who died from HIV infection.

The recent food crisis has also led to a complication in the progress on fighting malnutrition and

hunger. Child malnutrition accounts for more than a third of the disease burden of children

under 5 years of age. Moreover, malnutrition during pregnancy accounts for more than 20

percent maternal mortality. The proportion of children under 5 who are underweight in

developing countries declined from 33 percent in 1990 to 26 percent in 2006, much slower than

is needed to halve malnutrition by 2015. Progress, according to the OECD, has been slowest in

Sub-Saharan Africa. The region remains most affected, accounting for more than two-thirds of

all people living with HIV and for nearly three-fourths of AIDS-related deaths in 2008. In 2006,

the widespread presence of tuberculosis killed around 1.8 million people in the region of Sub-

Saharan Africa.

Ultimately, achieving the MDGs depends on the policy actions undertaken by developing

countries and their governments, firms and organizations. Economic growth needs to be

highlighted, whilst significant macroeconomic policies need to brought back in order to create

stable and sustainable growth.


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Agenda 2

Challenges of developing infrastructure in Africa

Introduction

After the World War II, nearly every country in Africa was subject to colonial administration.

This newly autonomous Africa faces massive challenges which include poverty, illness,

desertification, malnutrition and regional conflict. While the proportion of Africans living on less

than US$1.25 a day fell from 58 percent in 1996 to 50 percent in the first quarter of 2009, much

remains to be done to alleviate poverty and promote growth. UNDP is the United Nations'

global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries

to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life.1UNDPs focus is

helping countries build and share solutions to the challenges of:

a. Democratic Governance

b. Poverty Reduction

C. Crisis Prevention and Recovery

d. Environment and Energy

e. HIV/AIDS

UNDP helps developing countries attract and use aid effectively. Furthermore, UNDP

encourages the protection of human rights, capacity development and the empowerment of

women. Crisis prevention and recovery is essential to development and is a cornerstone of the

work of UNDP. Disasters and violent conflicts are among the two greatest threats to progress in

human development in the 21st century. Across Africa, infrastructure contributed 99 basis

points to per capita economic growth from 1990 to 2005, compared with 68 basis points forother structural policies (Calderon 2008).

2

Background

Infrastructure not only contributes to economic growth but also an important input to human

development. It is to be identified that infrastructure is a key ingredient for achieving all the

Millennium Development Goals. Safe and convenient water supplies save time and arrest the

spread of serious diseases including diarrhea (leading cause of infant mortality and

malnutrition). Electricity powers health and education services and boosts the productivity ofsmall businesses. Road networks provide links to global and local markets and ICTs democratize

access to information and reduce transport costs by allowing people to conduct transactions

remotely.3Africas infrastructure lags well behind that of other developing countries (Yepes,

1http://www.beta.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/operations/about_us.html

2http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTAFRICA/Resources/aicd_overview_english_no-embargo.pdf

http://www.beta.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/operations/about_us.htmlhttp://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTAFRICA/Resources/aicd_overview_english_no-embargo.pdfhttp://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTAFRICA/Resources/aicd_overview_english_no-embargo.pdfhttp://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTAFRICA/Resources/aicd_overview_english_no-embargo.pdfhttp://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTAFRICA/Resources/aicd_overview_english_no-embargo.pdfhttp://www.beta.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/operations/about_us.html


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Pierce, and Foster 2008). The photo below shows the percentage of urban population in this

continent.

Key Issues

1. Africas difficult economic geography presents a challenge for infrastructure development

Relative to other continents, Africa is characterized by low overall population density (36

people per square kilometer) and low rates of urbanization (35%). Africas atomized nation-

states are reflected in the regions fragmentary infrastructure networks. Sub-Saharan Africa

comprises 48 nation-states, many of which are very small.


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Few cross-border inter-connectors exist to support regional power exchange, even though

many countries are too small to produce power economically on their own. A further

complication is that the continent experiences particularly high hydrological variability, with

huge swings in in precipitation across areas, seasons, and time which climate change is likely to

exacerbate.4

This can be demonstrated by Horn of Africa crisis. After consecutive seasons of

inadequate rainfall, countries in the Horn of Africa are facing the worst drought in 60 years,

leading to the largest food crisis in 20 years and the worlds first famine of this century.

2. Africas infrastructure services are twice as expensive as elsewhere

Africas infrastructure networks deficient in coverage, but the price of the services provided is

also exceptionally high by global standards (refer the table below).

Furthermore, power provides the clearest example of infrastructure with costs genuinely higher

in Africa than elsewhere. Many smaller countries have national power system below 500megawatt threshold and therefore often rely on small diesel generation that can cost up to

$0.35 per kilowatt-hour to run, about twice the costs faced by larger countries typically with

coal- or hydropower-based system.5

Power tariffs in most parts of the developing world fall in

the ranges of US$0.04 to US$0.08 per kilowatt-hour. However, in Sub-Saharan Africa, the


http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTAFRICA/Resources/aicd_overview_english_no-embargo.pdfhttp://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTAFRICA/Resources/aicd_overview_english_no-embargo.pdfhttp://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTAFRICA/Resources/aicd_overview_english_no-embargo.pdfhttp://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTAFRICA/Resources/aicd_overview_english_no-embargo.pdf


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average tariff is US$0.13 per kilowatt-hour. Given poor reliability, many firms operate their own

diesel generators at two to three times the cost.6

3. Power is Africas largest infrastructure challenge

Whether measure in generation capacity, electricity consumption, or security or supply Africas

power infrastructure delivers only a fraction of the service found elsewhere in the developing

world. The 48 Sub-Saharan Africa countries (with 800 million people) generate roughly the

same power as Spain (with 45 million people). More than 30 African countries experience

power shortages and regular interruptions to service. African manufacturing enterprises

experience power outages on average 56 days per year. As a result, firms lose 6 percent of sales

revenues; in the informal sector where back-up generation is limited; loses can be as high as 20

percent.7

It is to be noted that energy is central to sustainable development and poverty

reduction efforts. It affects all aspects of development. None of the MDGs can be met without

major improvement in the quality and quantity of energy services in developing countries.8

The photo below demonstrates the underlying causes of power supply crisis in this continent.

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2~pagePK:51065911~piPK:64171006~theSitePK:717306,00.html7

http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/AFRICAEXT/EXTAFRREGTOPENERGY/0,,menuPK:71733

2~pagePK:51065911~piPK:64171006~theSitePK:717306,00.html8

http://www.undp.org/energy/
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Bibliography

Agenda 1

Arbache, J., D. Go, and V. Korman, forthcoming, Does Growth Volatility Matter for

Development Outcomes? An Empirical Investigation Using Global Data, background paper

forGlobal Monitoring Report 2010(Washington: World Bank).Hogan, M., K. Foreman, M. Naghavi, S. Ahn, M. Wang, S. Makela, A. Lopez, R. Lozano, and C.

What are the Millennium Development Goals: Goals and targets. Available at:

http://www.undp.org/mdg/basics.shtml

Murray, 2010, Maternal Mortality for 181 Countries, 19802008: A Systematic Analysis of

Progress towards Millennium Development Goal 5,The Lancet, Vol. 375, No. 9726, pp.

160923.

International Development Association, and International Monetary Fund, 2009, Heavily

Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative and Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI): Status

of Implementation, September 15 (Washington: World Bank and IMF).

International Monetary Fund (IMF), 2010,World Economic Outlook(Washington, April).

Sachs, J. 2010. Millennium Development Goals in an age of fear and loathing. Guardian: 23rd

September 2010. Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-

development/2010/sep/23/millennium-development-goals-fear-loathing

The OECD and the Millennium Development Goals. Available at:

http://www.oecd.org/document/37/0,3746,en_2649_33721_34087845_1_1_1_1,00.html

UNICEF, 2007,Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children Statistical Review, No. 6 (New

York).

World Bank, and International Monetary Fund, 2010,Global Monitoring Report 2010: The

MDGs after the Crisis(Washington: World Bank and IMF).

Agenda 2http://www.beta.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/operations/about_us.html

http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTAFRICA/Resources/aicd_overview_english_no-

embargo.pdf

http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/AFRICAEXT/EXTAFRREGTOPENERG

Y/0,,menuPK:717332~pagePK:51065911~piPK:64171006~theSitePK:717306,00.html

http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/AFRICAEXT/EXTAFRREGTOPENERG

Y/0,,menuPK:717332~pagePK:51065911~piPK:64171006~theSitePK:717306,00.html

http://www.undp.org/energy/
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