United Nations Sunday

Achieving Goals for Our World Community:
Unitarian Universalism and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Visalia,
Sunday, November 6, 2005

Presented by Harold Wood, compiled from the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office and other sources.

Unlike many other countries in the world, U.S. citizens have little understanding of what the United Nations is all about. It is often portrayed as at best a big bureaucracy, or at worst, an anti-American body of little use to America.

If we understood more about what the UN’s current goals are, we might as U.S. citizens have a better appreciation of why the U N is looked at as a valuable institution throughout most of the world.

In 1945, after the atrocities and horror of World War II, the United Nations was founded as a place for nations to settle differences. Many hoped that “We the Peoples” would eliminate war, address social problems and the evils and ills of humanity, and allow allow the virtuous spirit of humanity to grow.

When one reads the Preamble to the Charter of the United Nations as adopted in 1945, I am struck by the similarity of much of the language with the Seven Principles of Unitarian Universalism. Listen to this Preamble, recollecting our First Principle of “inherent worth and dignity of every person,” and our other Principle’s calls for justice, equity, compassion, and the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all”:

Preamble of the Charter of the United Nations, 1945:

“We the peoples of the United Nations, determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom, and for these ends to practice tolerance and to live together in peace with one another as good neighbors, and to unite our strength to maintain principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and to employ international machinery for the promotion of economic and social advancement for all peoples, have resolved to combine our efforts to establish these aims.”

While there is still war and injustice in the world, the Unitarian Universalist
United Nations Office continues to stand by the ideals set forth in the
Charter of the United Nations. To continue this important work, the Office invites you to join in their efforts. UN Sunday is the celebration among Unitarian Universalist congregations of the establishment of the United Nations. The goal is to spread information about the UN and to support its ongoing work.

The Major Goals of the UU UN Office are twofold: to:

1. Promote sustainable development as a means to achieve
peace, security and human rights

2. Encourage reform of the UN that enhances the effectiveness of the organization

Program Focus for 2005:

To educate, advocate, and actively work towards the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals. So let’s first review these 8 goals first, then learn more about the UU United Nations office programs that fit into these goals.

With this background, let’s turn to the UN’s Millenium Developent Goals (MDGs).

The UU United Nations Office says that the UN’s 8 “Millenium Develoment Goals (MDGs) are critical in determining the future of our world community. Through our support of the goals, we are applying the UU principles to our everyday lives in a practical and purposeful manner, in partnership with humanitarian and advocacy efforts around the world. As UUs and world citizens, we all share the responsibility to put an end to suffering and to allow everyone the chance to enjoy their fundamental rights as human beings.

The MDGs outline practical steps to be taken towards eradicating extreme poverty and its effects. Knowing that we have the knowledge and the resources to make these goals a reality, we now have to make them a priority.

The MDGs are fundamentally different from past international development goals that have gone unfulfilled. Endorsed by every UN member state at the 2000 Millennium Summit, the goals enjoy unprecedented political support. In addition, the MDGs are specific and measurable, with a deadline attached to each goal. Although ambitious, the targets have also been shown to be achievable, with rapid progress made in certain areas. Finally, the MDGs are focused on poverty reduction and human well-being, whereas prior development goals have concentrated on economic growth.

Recognizing the urgent nature of the MDGs, we in the UU United Nations Office are focusing our efforts at this critical time. Our principles as Unitarian Uniersalists are inherently linked to the UN Charter and ideals that the MDGs were founded upon, making us natural partners in the effort to advance peace, liberty, justice and basic human rights for all.

“The Millennium Development Goals are the world’s time-bound and quantified targets for addressing extreme poverty in its many dimensions—income poverty, hunger, disease, lack of adequate shelter, and exclusion—while promoting gender equality, education, and environmental sustainability. They are also basic human rights—the rights of each person on the planet to health, education, shelter, and security as pledged in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Millennium Declaration.”
–from Jeffrey Sachs’ Investing in Development

All 191 United Nations Member states have pledged to reach the following goals by the year 2015:

MDG 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
By 2015, reduce by half the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day and those who suffer from hunger.

The challenge is that “today in the developing world an estimated 1.2 billion people survive on less than $1 a day, 800 million are undernourished and 153 million children under age five are underweight. In sub-Saharan Africa half the population lives in poverty.”

MDG 2: Achieve universal primary education.
By 2015, ensure that all boys and girls complete primary school.

The challenge is that “an estimated 114 million children of primary age in the world are not enrolled in school, depriving one in every five children of access to even the most basic education.”

MDG 3: Promote gender equality and empower women.
Eliminate gender disparities in primary and secondary education now (by 2005) and at all levels by 2015.

The challenge is that “an estimated 63 million primary age girls are still not enrolled in school. And in only nine countries in the world are one in three or more seats in parliament held by women.”

MDG 4: Reduce child mortality.
Reduce the 1990 under-five mortality rate by two-thirds before 2015.

The challenge is that “nearly 11 million children under the age of five die in the world every year—well over 1,200 every hour, most from easily preventable or treatable causes.”

MDG 5: Improve maternal health.
Reduce by three quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio.

The challenge is that “globally, some 500,000 women die in pregnancy or childbirth each year, one every minute. Over her lifetime, a woman in sub-Saharan Africa faces a 1-in-16 chance of dying in childbirth, compared with 1-in-160 in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 1-in-840 in eastern Asia. In developed countries, the risk is 1-in-2800.”

MDG 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.
Halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS and the incidence of malaria and other major diseases.

The challenge is that “HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa and, worldwide, the fourth killer. Sub-Saharan Africa is the most affected region, but other regions, including South Asia, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Caribbean, are experiencing rapid increases in the incidence of HIV/AIDS.”

MDG 7: Ensure environmental sustainability.
Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs; reverse the loss of environmental resources; by 2015, reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water; by 2020 achieve significant improvement in the lives of slum dwellers.

The challenge is that “around 2.4 billion people do not have access to improved sanitation and some 1.2 billion do not have access to an improved source of water.”

MDG 8: Develop a global partnership for development.
Rich countries are responsible for establishing equitable access to their markets and technology and for creating a favorable financial environment. Good governance and a focus on social needs and human capital are essential for developing countries to achieve the Goals within their own territories.

The challenge is that “pledges to increase development assistance should be honored and progress on relieving the debt burdens of poor nations needs to be stepped up.”

Why do the MDGs matter?

Emanating from the Millennium Declaration, the eight Millennium Development Goals bind countries to do more and join forces in the fight against poverty, illiteracy, hunger, lack of education, gender inequality, child and maternal mortality, disease and environmental degradation. The eighth goal, reaffirmed in Monterrey and Johannesburg, calls on rich countries to relieve debt, increase aid and give poor countries fair access to their markets and their technology. The Millennium Development Goals are a test of political will to build stronger partnerships. Developing countries have the responsibility to undertake policy reforms and strengthen governance to liberate the creative energies of their people. But they cannot reach the Goals on their own without new aid commitments, equitable trading rules and debt relief. The Goals offer the world a means to accelerate the pace of development and to measure results.
-taken from: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/

How is Unitarian Universalism responding to these goals?

The UU United Nations Office has 6 major projects this year, and each of them are linked closely to one or more of the 8 Millenium Development Goals:

1. Every Child is Our Child

Sponsoring the education of children in Eastern Ghana orphaned by AIDS. This rural region in Eastern Ghana was selected because it has one of the highest concentrations of AIDS and children orphaned by AIDS in Africa. This relates specifically to MDG #2.

2. UUs in Action: Local Projects Global Concerns—The “Cradle Club”

Working with the Southwest Indian Relief Council’s Cradle Club
to provide supplies for baskets to be given to Native American mothers of newborn babies. This project supports the 6th UUA Principle of “to affirm and promote the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all” and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals #4 and 5, “to reduce child mortality” and “to improve maternal health.” The office sets up a way for UU Congregations around the country to work through the Southwest Indian Relief Council to provide the supplies for the gift baskets. I have a set of flyers about this program in the back counter.

3. NGO-UN Conflict Prevention Working Group (CPWG)

As a member of the Conflict Prevention Working Group , planning a global conference at the UN, “From Reaction to Prevention: Civil Society Forging Partnerships to Prevent Violent Conflict and Build Peace,” July 19-21, 2005. This brought together over 900 people from 118 countries to launch a civil society international movement to prevent armed conflict. Initiatives coming out of the conference include the establishment of an International Network for Conflict Resolution Education (CRE) and Peace Education.

4. Sustainable Development

Participating in the 2005 World Youth Congress in Scotland,
“Young People Working for a Sustainable World Community.” This conference in August activated hundreds of youth under the age of 25 on sustainability and peace efforts.

5. Emerging Global Crises: Genocide in Darfur, Sudan

Engaging UUs through action alerts, congregational materials,
letter writing campaigns, and rallies to take a stand against the
on-going genocide in Darfur, Sudan. The Reverend William Sinkford, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, was arrested on August 26, 2004 in protest at the Embassy of Sudan over genocide in Darfur, and the UU General Assembly in 2005 adopted a Action of immediate Witness, calling upon action to be taken to stop the genocide by the U.S. State Department, congressional action, and pressure on the UN Security Council to provide greater support to the African Union’s peacekeeping mission in Darfur.

 

I would lke to close tonight by reading some excerpts from the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office’s letter in support of the UN Millennium Project’s recent report, “Investing in Development:

A Practical Plan to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals.”

“We affirm the basic premise that the MDGs address the root causes of threats to global peace and security. By meeting the MDGs, the international community will build the basis for the existence of healthy, productive and, in turn, peaceful societies.

We agree that 2005 is the turning point to initiate programs and fulfill commitments in order to bring about the full achievement of the MDGs by 2015. In institutional terms, ten years is a brief window of opportunity. However, this period is long enough to change the future of an entire generation of young people. We support the call for immediate commitment and action.”

“In our effort to help reach the goals of reducing poverty, achieving universal primary education and combating the spread of HIV/AIDS, the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office is launching a program to sponsor the education of AIDS orphans in Eastern Ghana. We hope to partner with the Millennium Project at this level so that our combined efforts will result in the best possible outcome.

Finally, in line with Unitarian Universalist principles, we believe the report calls for a commitment on behalf of the world community to promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person. Further, the practical plan to achieve the MDGs is a considered and results-focused approach to the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.”

 

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