Youth and MDGs

Some countries in africa and asia still got many problems with each targets of MDGs (Millennium Development Goals). There are eight MDGs – which range from halving extreme poverty rates to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015 – form a blueprint agreed to by all the world’s countries and all the world’s leading development institutions. They have galvanized unprecedented efforts to meet the needs of the world’s poorest. MDGs which is created by UN and its partners for building a better world, now its limit is getting closer.

Vision of MDGs to end poverty still has not been achieved. We need some strategy improvement to achieve it. Youth is one of its solution. Youth has big opportunity to help world to achieve it.

Young people between the ages of 15 and 24 represent approximately 18 per cent of the global population, or nearly 1.2 billion people. Many youth remain marginalized from social and economic opportunities, with limited access to essential resources. Eighty-seven per cent of the youth population live in developing countries, and nearly 45 per cent of all youth globally living on less than 2 dollars a day. Youth are among the most vulnerable of all persons the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) aim to reach. Whether it is poverty, hunger, lack of education, maternal mortality, unemployment, environmental degradation or HIV/AIDS, the impact on young people can be far greater than on their older counterparts. This is because many young people often lack access to information, schooling, social influence and basic rights, and are often overlooked in national development agendas. Therefore, young people’s participation and inclusion in efforts to achieve all of the goals are crucial to ensure a successful and sustainable outcome. 

There are many youth organizations in worldwide. They have different style and programs to express their idea. Various programs from them, can help UN and worldwide to achieve MDGs. We only think about how to integrate its (youth) vision to future and strategic action from UN and its partners to achieve MDGs.

Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, this is goal 1 of MDGs. Youth can help to increasing the availability of data on poverty through doing research. Youth in philippines, they participate in the consultation process of poverty reduction strategies in their country. Young people are integral to addressing the issues of extreme poverty and hunger. They can

assist with rural development, combating corruption and developing social and environmental entrepreneurship. In order to utilize this potential, young people should be fully engaged in processes such as the Poverty Reduction Strategy Processes and other rural and urban development initiatives.

Second goal is achieve universal primary education. Young people and youth organizations are key resources in ensuring primary education for all people, as they are directly affected by its existence, or lack thereof. Young people are extremely effective teachers, because they can interest and motivate each other when teachers and parents cannot. Young people have proven to be good mentors for younger students in school, helping them with their studies and counseling them in other areas. In addition, youth are a valuable source to identify problems involving education and implementing appropriate projects. Adopting policies to stimulate young people in contributing to the assurance of universal primary education can therefore significantly speed up achieving goal 2 of the MDGs.

Third goal is promote gender equality and empower women. Addressing the issue of gender is vital to the successful implementation of the Millennium Development Goals from education and employment to health. The needs of young women should be placed at the center of this gender debate.

Fourth goal is reduce child mortality. Access to safe water, better sanitation facilities, and improvements in education, especially for girls and mothers, are closely linked to reduced mortality. Many children who live in unsanitary conditions suffer from cholera, diarrhea and malaria. Child mortality is a cross-sector issue and one that heavily affects young people across the globe.

Fifth goal is improve maternal health. To achieve Goal 5, adolescents must become more educated and active members of society, equipped to make the right sexual, reproductive, and family-planning choices for their future. Factors that influence the health of young people are numerous and interrelated, therefore successful health policies for young people should be interdisciplinary and cross-sector (addressing personal, social and mental development), promote life skills and provide practical information on health issues of concern to young people and address young people’s sexual and reproductive health from a preventive, rights-based, genderresponsive and empowering perspective.

Sixth goal is combat hiv/aids, malaria and other diseases. Since the risk of HIV infection is tied directly to individual behaviour, it is essential that young people receive information and preventive education in order to decrease the risk of infection. If youth are not directly infected, they are still affected. Young people are losing their friends, teachers, parents, and community structures. Youth must be given the resources to mobilize themselves immediately - they can teach each other and they can reach each other.

Seventh goal is ensure environmental sustainability. Protecting the integrity of our environment is among the most important of the MDGs, particularly for youth. To date youth participation as exemplified by the initiatives of young leaders worldwide has been strong. In

order to achieve Goal 7 existing networks and initiatives must be support and expanded. Additionally, education, both formal and in-formal, plays an important role in the promotion of environmental awareness amongst youth. By increasing environmental education and collaborating with youth, governments and international organizations will find valuable partners in advancing sustainable development.

Last goal is develop a global partnership for development. Lack of access to ICTs, fair trade conditions and meaningful and productive work all curtail young people's abilities to contribute to achieving the MDGs. This can be resolved by giving young people means to truly engage in developing mechanisms to implement the MDGs at national and international levels and by offering tools for concrete and meaningful actions that will benefit generations to come.