The Millennium Development Goals

The MDGs are a set of globally agreed upon goals, aiming to reduce poverty in all its forms around the world and to achieve the many and varied development challenges.  Each goal has a set of targets and indicators that are aimed to be achieved by 2015, and UNDP is a key partner in working towards this achievement

The governments of the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tokelau have all taken up the challenge of tackling the MDGs in partnership with UNDP and the UN system, and each is making headway.

MDGs in Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa & Tokelau

The economies of the Cook Islands, Niue and Samoa are among the better performing in the Pacific, with consistent economic growth, impressive social development and good progress in MDGs, especially MDG 1 on eradicating extreme poverty and hunger (there is no MDG data for Tokelau). The Cook Islands, Niue and Samoa have already achieved MDGs 4 and 5 on child and maternal health.  Significant challenges remain in sustaining and improving achievements. Within countries, the distribution of development benefits is uneven, especially between urban and rural areas and among the main and outer islands. While extreme poverty and hunger largely do not exist in the four countries, many households still struggle to meet their basic needs, and a “poverty of opportunity” affects many communities in rural areas and the outer islands. About 20 per cent of Samoans live below the national poverty line. Many youth are disillusioned by the lack of opportunity, and suicide rates are high.

UNDP Samoa MCO contribution to UN MDGs Programmes

As part of the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) based in Samoa that covers the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tokelau, the UNDP MCO in Samoa contributes significantly to MDGs advocacy, achievement and monitoring through four key UNCT programmes; 1) the National MDGs Programmes in the Cook Islands, Niue and Samoa; 2) the Regional and National UN Pacific Sports and MDGs Programmes; 3) the UN HIV/AIDS programme; and 4) the TALAVOU – UN and Government of Samoa Joint Youth Programme.  For all the four programmes, the UNDP Samoa MCO provides the main funding and operational support that enables the implementation, monitoring and reporting of the UNCT MDGs programmes.

National MDGs Programmes for the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tokelau

The UNCT in Samoa has substantial National MDGs programmes for Samoa, Cook Islands and Niue developed and approved with the Governments and civil societies in 2004 and 2005 with funding mainly from UNDP.  The National MDGs Programmes focus on three key components: 1) National MDGs Advocacy Programme; 2) Preparation of National MDGs Reports; and 3) Integration of the MDGs into National Development Planning.  Under the leadership of the UN Resident Coordinator’s Multi-country Office and National MDGs Taskforces, the programmes aim to increase public awareness of and encourage national ownership of the MDGs, enable more extensive participation of marginalised and isolated groups in national development planning, strengthen partnerships between governments and civil societies and better integrate the MDGs into national development plans and policies.  For more information on the UN Country Team’s work on the MDGs, click here   back to top

Despite progress on gender equality and empowering women (MDG 3), some indicators may not be met by 2015. In all four countries, the lack of sex disaggregated data and gender indicators is undermining the monitoring of MDG 3 progress. The Cook Islands and Niue MDG reports show that Indicator 12 -- the proportion of seats held by women in the national parliament -- will not be met by 2015. The Cook Islands added a national MDG 9 for improved governance, and Niue, a national MDG 9 for population development and retention.  Samoa modified the focus of Goal 6 to non-communicable or lifestyle diseases to reflect the key health challenge currently faced by Samoans and the Samoan health system regarding health outcomes, health system development and health financing.  Additional and new MDGs targets for Goal 6 have been developed for Samoa.

An indication of the commitment of Niue, Samoa and the Cook Islands to the MDGs process and national reporting is that each countries has developed their own National MDG Reports, each have tailored the MDGs and selected targets to suit their national situation and each has made commitment to integrating the MDGs into their national development planning process and plans. For the full reports, see: MDG Cook Islands,  MDG Samoa, MDG Niue

UN HIV/AIDS programme

The Samoa UNCT AIDS team coordinates, manages and programs the annual UNAIDS funding support to the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau and American Samoa. The Samoa UNDP MCO manages and provides monitoring support for the use of the funds for the Samoa UNCT. The priorities for UN support are to support the achievement of the three ones approach to HIV/AIDS response in country; which are; support to one national coordinating HIV/AIDS body, one HIV/AIDS strategy and plan and one programme.  Focus has been on the establishment of national systems and policies for coordinated HIV/AIDS response, HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention programmes and the establishment of systems of treatment and care for HIV/AIDS patients and their families and communities.

UNAIDS funding has also been allocated to Youth Authorities in the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tokelau to implement Goal 6 HIV/AIDS components of their National Youth MDGs Advocacy Programmes that were developed from the Pacific Youth MDGs Summit hosted by the Samoa UNCT in May 2005.

TALAVOU Programme
The TALAVOU programme is the first joint programme for the UN Country Team based in Samoa and the government of Samoa.  It is the sector wide programme for youth development in Samoa based on the National Youth Policy and Strategic Plan.  The programme aims to address key priority issues for youth in Samoa identified in the national policies and plans.  It supports integrated development for youth for achievement of various MDGs through self worth improvement programmes, skills formation and training initiatives and the provision of livelihood initiatives and opportunities for youth in Samoa.           back to top

As part of the UN’s commitment to supporting networking in the Pacific and sharing of learning between Pacific Island Countries, an MDGs South-South Cooperation programme between the Government of Samoa and the Governments of Niue and the Cook Islands was undertaken in 2004 with funding support from UNDP and New Zealand Aid in the Cook Islands.   Samoa hosted the programme focusing on sharing their systems, processes and experience on MDGs advocacy, reporting, national development planning, financial and aid management with six government officials from the Cook Islands and Niue.

Regional and National UN Pacific Sports and MDGs Programmes

As per UN resolution 58/5, sport is recognised as one of the world’s most powerful communications tools due to its near universal appeal, its convening power and its many positive associations.  Together, these features give sport the capacity to reach a range of audiences in a variety of ways, particularly groups that are otherwise difficult to reach.  In 2007, UNDP was involved with a broader UNCT campaign to promote the MDGs during the 13th South Pacific Games (SPG), that were held in Samoa. The campaign focused on using partnerships with the SPG organisers, sporting role models, sponsors and government ministries to promote messages on MDGs, healthy lifestyles, STI prevention and environmental sustainability.  As a part of a longer term MDG advocacy project between the UNDP and Samoan Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), two MDG scoreboards were purchased (one of which was erected next to the Government Building) and were used to broadcast MDG messages during the games. A joint campaign with the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP) focusing on MDG 7 (Environmental Sustainability) involved a ‘Tree Planting’ campaign to raise awareness about global warming  and  local actions to help offset carbon emissions. For more information on the SPG MDG campaign, click here 

Following the success of the 2007 South Pacific Games campaign, the UNCT in Samoa has joined forces with the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) to use football (soccer) as a further means of promoting physical activity and the MDGs. Negotiations are now underway to build on Samoa Soccer Federation’s existing ‘Footykids program’ to help promote the key development  messages aligned with the MDGs, such anti-smoking , healthy living, physical exercise and caring for the environment.
 
The start of this OFC/UN collaboration was marked by the signing of a formal 'memorandum of understanding' in November 2006. OFC President/FIFA Vice-President Reynald Temarii, a key proponent of the MOU and sports for development, recognises that football touches the hearts and minds of people all over the world and that it has the ability to draw people together and to cut across boundaries such as age, gender and religion. For further information on the activities and goals of Oceania Football Confederation please visit http://www.oceaniafootball.com