A consultation meeting took place on Thursday February 19 to discuss Anguilla’s position in regard to the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and the progress that has been made so far. It was attended by representatives from a number of Government departments, private groups and non government organizations in order to share the present status of the goals.

Participants at the discussion

The Millennium Goals were established by the United Nations in September 2000 and 189 member states signed the declaration.

In Anguilla for the consultation was Jacqueline Massiah of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Policy Unit that is assisting member states in the development of the goals. She said that the aim of the Policy Unit is to assist in the localisation of the MDGs by visiting the countries assessing the progress made and the targets relevant to the country. She stressed that it will be the Anguilla stakeholders to decide the way forward and that a local consultant needs to be appointed.

Lori-Rae Franklin who chairs the committee of the Social Indicator MDG said that it will require full endorsement from the government, the private sector and the public. She outlined the eight goals that are:-

1. The eradication of extreme poverty and hunger.

2. The achievement of universal primary education.

3. Promote Gender equality and empower women.

4. Reduce child Mortality.

5. Improve maternal health.

6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

7. Ensure environmental sustainability.

8. Promote global partnerships for development.

Franklin said that there are 21 measurable targets to be achieved for these goals.

Jacqueline Massiah

As far as Goal one, from the previous Poverty Assessment it was found that 23% of the Anguilla population is poor and it is likely that with rising costs more people may fall in this group so this is one of the goals to be addressed. Goal 3 needs to be addressed as it is reported that there is disparity in wages and salaries by men and women. The child mortality rate is very low and there have only been two maternal deaths in the past ten years but there is a need to have statistics on these two goals. Work is already being carried out as far as combating AIDS and one of the targets is universal access to treatment. The volume of waste at the landfill site has increased by 119% in 2007 since 2001 so there is a need to address Goal 7 and integrate sustainable development into country policies and programmes.

The task of the consultant will be to develop a list of MDG indicators and targets that are localised to the national context and a plan of action to be used as a guide for the achievement of the goals.

The consultation meeting was attended by representatives from Social Security, the Anguilla Development Board, the National AIDS Committee, the Principal Assistant Secretary for Gender Affairs, Environmental Health, and the Department of Social Development amongst others.

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