An overview on South Africa’s implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) was today provided by Public Service and Administration Minister, Mr Richard Baloyi. The presentation by Minister Baloyi was part of a consultative seminar on the role of Parliament and Provincial Legislatures in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) taking place on 5 to 6 September 2011 in Parliament, Cape Town.
The Millennium Development Goals come from the United Nations (UN) Millennium Declaration signed by 189 countries, including 147 Heads of State and Government in September 2000, and from further agreement by member states at the 2005 World Summit on Sustainable Development. A total of eight (8) MDGs were identified and served as an expression of a minimum commitment to the global development agenda. They set minimum standards that must be met by nations of the world towards meeting the developmental needs of their people.
The eight goals are to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality and the empowerment of women; reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; combat HIV and AIDS, Malaria and other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability; and to develop a global partnership for development.
South Africa’s performance on the implementation of the MDGs can be assessed against the compliance with international instruments and Constitutional imperatives and values. Addressing the seminar, Minister Baloyi shared that the country was on course with the implementation; further acknowledging that though work in progress, challenges existed and there was room for improvement in the implementation of the goals.
Minister Baloyi noted that South Africa has the monitoring and reporting mechanisms in place and that legislative, executive and public oversight is also being strengthened. South Africa’s third Report (2010) shows that the foundation of the country’s Constitutional trajectory and development mandate explicitly take the MDGs into account, and therefore the country is well positioned to respond much more decisively to the MDG agenda.
Government has integrated the MDGs into its Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) 2009-2014, translating the five priorities of the ruling party into ten strategic priorities for government.
The Medium Term Strategic Framework which guides planning and resource allocation across all spheres of government identifies the following five development objectives of halving poverty and unemployment by 2014; ensuring a more equitable distribution of the benefits of economic growth and reducing inequality; improving the nation’s health profile and skills base and ensuring universal access to basic services; building a nation that is free of all forms of racism, sexism, tribalism and xenophobia; and improving the safety of citizens by reducing incidents of crime and corruption.
Linked to the five over-arching objectives, the Medium Term Strategic Framework has outlined ten priority areas that are intended to give effect to these strategic objectives.
These are:
- Strategic Priority 1: Speeding up growth and transforming the economy to create decent work and sustainable livelihoods.
- Strategic Priority 2: Massive programme to build economic and social infrastructure.
- Strategic Priority 3: Comprehensive rural development strategy linked to land and agrarian reform and food security.
- Strategic Priority 4: Strengthen the skills and human resource base.
- Strategic Priority 5: Improve the health profile of all South Africans.
- Strategic Priority 6: Intensify the fight against crime and corruption.
- Strategic Priority 7: Build cohesive, caring and sustainable communities.
- Strategic Priority 8: Pursuing African advancement and enhanced international cooperation.
- Strategic Priority 9: Sustainable Resource Management and use.
- Strategic Priority 10: Building a developmental state including improvement of public services and strengthening democratic institutions.
These strategic priorities have been translated into twelve outcomes that inform the new outcomes based approach of government.
Priorities for the public service include the drive Towards Vision 2030 focusing on eliminating poverty and reducing inequality as well as the repositioning of the public service based on the values enshrined in Chapter 10 of the Constitution.
In his closing remarks, Minister Baloyi called for effective oversight to ensure the attainment of the MDGs, citing that Parliament must ask penetrating questions about the extent to which we are attaining or failing to attain the goals.
For more information contact:
Dumisani Nkwamba
Tel: 012 336 1704
Cell: 082 885 9448
E-mail: dumisanin@dpsa.gov.za
Lebohang Mafokosi
Tel: 012 336 1017
Cell: 082 312 4641
E-mail: lebohangm@dpsa.gov.za
