Attaining the United Nations anti- poverty goals, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), hinges on women's participation and empowerment, the African Progress Panel said in a new report published on Friday.
The new resource guide shows critical importance of girls and women to attaining all eight goals. The report, released on the run-up to the UN MDG Summit in New York, highlights the critical necessity of achieving the full participation and empowerment of women and girls in all aspects of political, economic and social life in order to achieve the goals.
The report says "Women and the MDGs in Africa" is a new resource for policy-makers, presenting key statistics and insights alongside the most important reports and best practice examples.
Speaking ahead of the Summit, Kofi Annan, the chair of the Africa Progress Panel, said "The MDGs have already improved the lives of hundreds of millions of people, but the world is still far from achieving what we set out to do in 2000."
"Much more can be done to mobilise private and public sector resources for public goods and services, and to put investment in jobs and people at the heart of growth and development strategies, " Annan said.
"Several important donors have already scaled back on their commitments or relaxed their development efforts. The Goals do not need fair-weather friends, but serious investors in for the long haul," he said.
According to Annan, revitalizing the political will to achieve the goals and mobilizing greater resources to deliver tangible results is the linchpin to success.
He said the primary responsibility rests with political leaders, and their challenge is to re-articulate a compelling case for global solidarity and equitable growth.
"The message must be that achieving the goals is not optional, but an essential investment in a fairer, safer and more prosperous world," Annan said.
