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Millennium development goals (MDGs)

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
February 2018

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This factsheet presents a  progress report on the UN’s Millennium Development Goals relating directly to health, highlighting key statistics, progress and areas for further improvement

Fact sheet N° 290

World health statistics 2015

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
2015

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This report contains WHO’s annual compilation of health-related data for its 194 Member States, and includes a summary of the progress made towards achieving the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and associated targets

Women’s rights and gender equality in the post-2015 framework : gender and development network position paper

WOODROFFE, Jessica
et al
February 2014

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This GADN position paper calls on world leaders committed to promoting gender equality to prioritise the inclusion of a strong standalone goal on gender equality and women’s rights in the forthcoming negotiations on the post-2015 framework”, alongside mainstreaming to ensure that gender equality is embedded across the framework. It identifies the need for targets that are transformative to promote changes in the power and choices women have over their own lives, focusing on five main areas: violence against women and girls; economic empowerment; political participation and influence in decision making; sexual and reproductive health and rights; and education 

Equal rights at the heart of the post-2015 development agenda : position paper in response to the report of the high-level panel of eminent persons on the post-2015 development agenda

EQUAL RIGHTS TRUST
September 2013

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This position paper calls for the adoption of comprehensive equality legislation to be included as a specific development goal in the framework established to succeed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The paper argues that a failure to address inequality has been one of the undeniable failings of the MDGs. It presents research to illustrate that status-based discrimination is a driver of both income poverty and denial of access to economic and social rights, such as education and health, which are central to the current MDG framework. The paper argues that establishing effective legal protection for the rights to equality and non-discrimination can provide an important mechanism for alleviating poverty and its consequences, and concludes that this is only possible with the adoption of comprehensive equality legislation

Rights should be central to the post 2015 agenda

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH (HRW)
September 2013

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This report highlights that "a new global framework on development should be rooted in existing, internationally-agreed human rights standards, as set out in core documents like the UN Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Governments have legal obligations to Governments have legal obligations to respect, protect and fulfil these rights, including in their development programs and policies...Making human rights integral to development and a post-2015 development framework would contribute to more just and inclusive development outcomes, especially through an emphasis on participation, empowerment, and transparency"

The sexual and reproductive rights of women and girls with disabilities

FROHMADER, Carolyn
ORTOLEVA, Stephanie
July 2013

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"This Briefing Paper examines the sexual and reproductive rights of women and girls with disabilities in the context of the future development agenda Beyond 2014 and Post 2015"
Issues Paper
ICPD Human Rights Conference on Sexual and Reproductive Health The Hague, Netherlands
7-11 July 2013

Old age, disability and mental health : data issues for a post-2015 framework

SAMMAN, Emma
RODRIGUEZ-TAKEUCHI, L. K
May 2013

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"This Background Note focuses on inequalities associated with old age, disability and mental health. It argues that these should be considered salient sources of group-based difference, given the numbers of people affected, their marginalisation and vulnerability, and their relative neglect in international agreements to date. This note identifies a lack of data as a particular concern, but one that can be addressed through revisions to standard household surveys. To this end, the paper discusses the available data and their limitations, constraints to better data collection and efforts needed to adjust key international survey instruments -the World Bank’s Core Welfare Indicator Questionnaire (CWIQ) and Living Standards and Measurement Survey (LSMS), Macro International’s Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) and the UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS)- to collect reliable data on these issues. It sets out technical adjustments that would enable these surveys to broaden their coverage, collect richer information and improve their identification of these three groups. It concludes by commenting on how measures to address the inequalities that affect these groups could be incorporated within a new post-2015 framework agreement"
ODI Background note

Achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment in the post-2015 framework

SMEE, Sharon
WOODROFFE, Jessica
January 2013

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"To achieve real and sustainable change, the post- 2015 framework must focus on the social transformations required to eradicate poverty and empower the most marginalised and excluded people. This report argues that such transformation cannot happen without tackling the underlying causes of gender inequality which, in turn, will not be successful without the political will and resources that a standalone goal on gender equality can provide"

Post-2015 development goals : eighth report of session 2012-2013|Volume I : report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
January 2013

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The UK International Development committee "report begins (Chapter 2) with a more detailed exploration of the processes by which the post-2015 development goals are being developed and the consultations which are being undertaken. In Chapter 3, we consider what the overarching purpose of the new goals should be, including consideration of the extent to which development should be integrated with issues of environmental sustainability. In Chapter 4, we assess the potential content of the post-2015 framework. In doing so, our intention is not to be prescriptive, but to set out some broad issues to be borne in mind when the framework is being developed. Finally, in Chapter 5, we assess the potential structure of the new framework, including a consideration of the role of targets and indicators"
HC 657
Note: Additional written evidence is contained in Volume II, available on the Committee website

Maternal and new-born care practices among disabled women, and their attendance in community groups in rural Makwanpur, Nepal

LEONARD CHESHIRE DISABILITY AND INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
2013

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This paper presents qualitative and quantitative research that describes the type and severity of disability of married women in the study area, describes their participation in community groups and analyses associations between maternal and new-born care behaviours and disability. Health workers and field researchers were also interviewed about their experience with disabled women in rural Makwanpur
Cross-cutting Disability Research Programme, Background Paper: 01

Disabled people and the post-2015 development goal agenda through a disability studies lens

WOLBRING, Gregor
MACKAY, Rachel
RYBCHINSKI, Theresa
NOGA, Jacqueline
2013

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The purpose of this study was to examine the role and visibility of disabled people in the discourses of various global policy processes related to sustainable development and the Post-2015 development agenda. This article makes several recommendations for strengthening the role of disabled people in these discourses. The research addresses the question of how the disability community and sustainable development community relate to each other in these discourses. This study provides quantitative and qualitative data on three aspects of the relationship. One set of data highlights who is seen as a stakeholder in general and the visibility of disabled people in the social sustainability, sustainable consumption, Rio+20 and Post-2015 development agenda proposals discourses and what participants of the online consultation for a disability inclusive development agenda towards 2015 and beyond had to say about the issues of visibility of disabled people in development discourses. A second set of data illuminates the attitudes towards disabled people evident in the SD discourses including through the eyes of the participant of the online consultation for a disability inclusive development agenda towards 2015 and beyond. The final set of data compares the goals and actions seen as desirable for the advancement of SD evident in the SD literature covered and the online consultation for a disability inclusive development agenda towards 2015 and beyond. This study interpreted the data through a disability studies lens. The study found that disabled people were barely visible to invisible in the SD literature covered, that the goals and actions proposed in the SD discourses are of high relevance to disabled people but that these discussions have generally not been explicitly linked to disabled people. It found further that disabled people have clear ideas why they are invisible, what the problems with development policies are and what needs to happen to rectify the problems. It found also that there was a lack of visibility of various SD areas and goals within the disability discourse. This paper provides empirical data that can be used to further the goal of mainstreaming of disabled people into the SD and Post-2015 development discourses as asked for in various high-level UN documents. However, we posit that the utility of our paper goes beyond the disability angle. Our quantitative data also highlights other forms of social group visibility unevenness in the literature and as such, we argue that the data we present in this paper is also of use for other stakeholders such as youth, women and indigenous people and also for NGOs and policy makers.

 

Sustainability, Vol 5

Inequalities relating to health and the life course : disability, mental Illness and older age

SAMMAN, Emma
RODRIGUEZ-TACKEUCHI, Laura
November 2012

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"Issues related to early childhood feature prominently in the MDG framework (as do malnutrition, HIV status and malaria), and data collection in these areas is fairly advanced. Other sources of inequality are notable by their virtual absence - among these, older age, disability and mental illness, although these issues each appear to affect sizeable numbers of particularly vulnerable people throughout the world. A clear obstacle to ‘mainstreaming’ these sources of inequality in a new post-2015 agreement is the widespread lack of nationally representative internationally comparable data. This could arise from definitional or technical issues (what to measure and/or how), operational issues (e.g., resource or capacity constraints), attitudinal issues (relating to stigma) and/or lack of demand from data users. Greater attention is needed to explore these constraints and how they might be overcome. To this end, this paper discusses currently available data and its limitations, constraints to better data collection and efforts needed to adjust key international survey instruments- the World Bank’s Core Welfare Indicator Questionnaire (CWIQ) and Living Standards and Measurement Survey (LSMS), Macro International’s Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) and the UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) - to collect reliable data on these sources of inequality, alongside other household indicators"
Note: Accepted under the "Addressing Inequalities" Global Thematic Consultation - Call for Proposals for Background Papers, Oct 2012

The voices of the marginalised

CAIN, Emma
October 2012

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"Drawing on the experience of four organizations (ADD International, Sightsavers, HelpAge International, Alzheimer’s Disease International), this paper argues the case for a greater focus on horizontal inequalities which relate to social factors of ‘difference’, and which contribute to marginalization. By focusing on the experience of persons with disabilities, older people and people with mental health issues, the paper explores the dynamics and mechanisms which marginalize individuals, and calls for a greater focus on these issues in current and future development frameworks. The paper highlights the importance of bringing the ‘lived experience’ in to the analysis and policymaking process through initiatives such as the ‘Voices of the Marginalized’ research project which promotes the voice and participation of persons with disabilities, older people and people with mental health issues"
Note: Accepted under the "Addressing Inequalities" Global Thematic Consultation - Call for Proposals for Background Papers, Oct 2012

World Health Statistics 2012

WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO)
2012

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"World Health Statistics 2012 contains WHO’s annual compilation of health-related data for its 194 Member States, and includes a summary of the progress made towards achieving the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and associated targets. This year, it also includes highlight summaries on the topics of noncommunicable diseases, universal health coverage and civil registration coverage"
Note: The summary brochure, full report, report in English by section, the indicator compendium and printed copy order forms are available from the link above

Non-Communicable diseases in an ageing world : a report from the International Longevity Centre UK, HelpAge International and Alzheimer’s Disease International lunch debate

BAMFORD, Sally-Marie
SERRA, Valentina
July 2011

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This report, based on the discussion and recommendations from the expert meeting, presents information about the need for a life-course focus on prevention, treatment, management and related care issues on NCDs and for dementia to be addressed as a global priority for action. "The first part of the report highlights salient policy and political issues on the NCD question and summarises some of the key international developments in this regard. The latter section of the report provides a summary of the presentation by Professor Martin Prince, and identifies some of the key themes which emerged from the meeting"
Expert stakeholder lunch meeting
London, UK
4 May 2011

Disability and the millennium development goals : a review of the MDG process and strategies for inclusion of disability issues in millennium development goal efforts

GROCE, Nora
2011

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This report provides an overview "for why and how disability can and should be included in the planning, monitoring and evaluation of MDG related programmes and policies." This report is useful to people working in disability advocacy, programming and outreach efforts, as well as people those working on MDG-related efforts

Report on the world social situation 2011 : the global social crisis

UNITED NATIONS Department of Economic and Social Affairs
2011

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"This report explores the on-going adverse social consequences of the crisis. The global economic downturn has had wide-ranging negative social outcomes for individuals, families, communities and societies, and its impact on social progress in areas such as education and health will only become fully evident over time" This report identifies the immediate and long-term social impacts of the current crisis and strongly underscores the need for inclusive social policies ”ST/ESA/334

Analysing commitments to advance the global strategy for women's and children's health|The PMNCH 2011 report

THE PARTNERSHIP FOR MATERNAL, NEWBORN & CHILD HEALTH (PMNCH)
2011

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"This report seeks to further our collective understanding of the current Global Strategy commitments, facilitating more effective advocacy to advance the Every Woman, Every Child effort, as well as greater accountability in line with the recommendations of the Commission on Information and Accountability for Women’s and Children’s Health. This 2011 report is based on structured interviews with those who made commitments, supplemented by reviews of related documentation. This report analyses the specific nature of each commitment recorded through May 2011 to produce a preliminary picture of the achievements of the Global Strategy commitments to date, as well as to identify opportunities and challenges for advancement"

Mental health and development : integrating mental health into all development efforts including MDGs

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
UNITED NATIONS DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS (UNDESA)
September 2010

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This paper focuses upon integrating mental health into all development issues, including the MDGs. It presents mental health as an emerging development issue, highlights the vulnerability of persons with mental / psychosocial disabilities, and outlines mental health related to each millenium devleopment goal. It concludes by stating the response from the international community and makes recommendations for a way forward
UN(DESA)-WHO Policy Analysis

Protect for the future : placing children's protection and care at the heart of the MDGs

DELAP, Emily
et al
July 2010

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This paper argues that, in relation to children, this vital change in approach must go beyond a consideration of survival, health and education rights already specifically referred to in the millennium development goals (MDGs), to encompass rights relating to children’s protection and care. These include recognition of the central importance of family-based care for child wellbeing, and children’s rights to be free from violence, exploitation, abuse and neglect. It is argued that only through a consideration of such rights will it be possible to make wide-reaching and sustainable progress in efforts to alleviate child poverty, increase access to education, improve maternal and child health, and reduce the spread of HIV and AIDS

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