Campaign2015+ International is the only coalition not only in Nigeria but also in Africa primarily established to collaborate with various stakeholders including the CSOs and governments towards attainment of MDGs and to campaign beyond 2015 on development and rights-based issues. With large membership and grassroots reach in some African countries, Campaign 2015+ is headquartered in Nigeria which is one of the countries that UNDG-led consultation is taking place. CAMPAIGN2015+’s constituency cuts across coalitions and networks including but not limited to NGOs, CBOs, FBOs, trade unions, professional associations, student organizations, minority groups, including the poor and the maginalised, disability groups, bilateral and multilateral agencies, and development partners working worldwide on development, human and socio-economic rights, justice and peace.

COLLABORATION/ACHIEVEMENTS ON POST-2015 DEVELOPMENT AGENDA

Campaign2015+ International is a staunch member of Beyond2015 International and an international member of GCAP and CIVICUS. Our members have served in various committees and discussion groups set up by Beyond2015 since 2011. Early in 2012, we set up a think tank strategy group that is responsible for programmes and activities that would make the voices of the people heard on post-2015 development agenda.

Campaign2015+ and Grassroots deliberations across Nigeria

Specifically in September 2012, we organized deliberations at the local level in the southwest Nigeria with focus on what the grassroots people want reflected in the new development framework. Later in October, Beyond2015 appointed Campaign2015+ as the Lead Agency to coordinate the national hubs for CSOs’ deliberations on post-2015 framework in Nigeria. Importantly, Campaign2015+ has been the first and only coalition so far in Nigeria that started discussions already on post-2015 agenda as it has solely organised several deliberations across the zones on the process and content of post-2015 development agenda. Our current discussions on the content of post-2015 agenda focus on four conceptual foundations: vision, purpose, principles, and criteria. We have carried out (as at January2013) deliberations in five out of six geo-political zones of Nigeria reaching out to grassroots people in about 30 states of Nigeria.

Campaign2015+ and Global Health

Since 2012, Campaign2015+ has been collaborating with the Alliance of Southern CS in Global Health (Global Health South) as its members were represented at the international meeting on 2nd Dialogue and Retreat from 3rd-9th March 2012 in Accra, Ghana. Recently, we also collaborated with Global Health South on Online CS Consultation on the Global Health Theme of the Post 2015 UN Agenda. Our members were mobilised to make input to the health theme discussions while the results were also shared with our stakeholders. The CS online consultation gives valuable perspectives on global health governance and development processes, calling for renewed attention to accountability and partnerships as well as participation and inclusive processes. The survey includes some interesting suggestions on how this should be shaped in the new agenda.

Campaign2015+ and Youth in Sierra Leone

Campaign2015+ International Sierra Leone is led by the Youth Partnership for Peace and Development (YPPD) – a youth-led intervention enhancing governments’ commitment towards delivery on the MDGs promises in Sierra Leone through the establishment of the Youth Taskforce on the MDGs. YPPD represents a foremost youth-led development organization and a key player in the anti-poverty movement that has immensely contributed towards the MDGs advocacy and campaigns in Sierra Leone with supports from the United Nations Millennium Campaign, Global Call to Action against Poverty and UNDP. Other contributions have been inputs into the draft framework of the beyond2015 process with Campaign2015+. Looking at the challenges faced by the MDGs in the Sierra Leonean setting and the conscious steps taken by the wider civil society, Campaign2015+ has been a golden opportunity of raising the profile of the post-2015 process and the mapping out strategy for engaging other stakeholders in the country.

Campaign2015+ International and ICT

New Generation Change-Makers Initiative (NGCI) is saddled with the responsibilities of being the ICT and Youth Coordinator at Campaign2015+ International and has been privileged to be invited as a delegate to African Youth Conference held in Nairobi, Kenya, from November 18-20, 2012. It jointly worked on African Youth Online Survey on Post-2015; and participated at My World Online Survey; and in UN online discussion on Youth and inequalities.

Campaign2015+ and Climate Change

Climate Change Network of Nigeria, the South-south zonal coordinator of Campaign2015+ International and a national coalition of over 150 diverse civil society organizations from across Nigeria, has been actively involved in promoting a post-2015 global development framework with its activities in the area of environmental sustainability that will actually contribute to achieving “The World We Want”. Promoting climate resilience in the grassroots through our “Cities/Local Government and Climate Change” project is a project aimed at building the capacity of grassroots governments and communities on the top-down national climate change mitigation and adaptation agenda for an effective bottom-up implementation of the national action plan, especially in the areas of low-carbon development, green job creation opportunities and urban resilience for poverty reduction and sustainable development.

Campaign2015+ and Population Dynamics

Population dynamics in the context of the post-2015 development agenda is critical for the achievement of the post-2015 development agenda and for sustainable development in general. Campaign2015+ staunchly supports the view of Beyond2015 that population dynamics and sexual and reproductive health are included in the post-2015 development agenda within a human-rights and gender-sensitive framework. Campaign2015+ contributed immensely to the position paper of Beyond2015 International on population dynamics. Worthy of note is Camapign2015+’s position on the problem of irregular migration which is linked to migrant’s lack of proper documentation and the right information on migration which often leads to migrants’ rights violation made worse by lack of migrant-responsive policy in the country of origin, transit country or country of final destination.

Campaign2015+ and Gender Issue

With the technical support of Campaign2015+ international, AFRICA WOCH carried out sensitization activities in the rural areas using the platform of Ward Development Committee (WDC). Some CSOs, CBOs, women leaders, youth leaders, town criers, and children were sensitized, and the success story was the establishment of a network of WDC members on post-2015 agenda. After the sensitization, WDC made key demands captured in COMMUNITY ACTION PLAN (August, 2012) and OPERATIONAL PLAN (November, 2012). AFRICA-WOCH organizes regular advocacy visits to trade groups, professional associations including Abia State Traders Association and Abia State Ministry of Women Affairs as part of her objective in organizing a state consultation for women and children summit on post 2015 agenda framework using the international days for children and women in 2013 and to dialogue and plan for a program hinged around post-2015 agenda and good governance.

Considering opportunities for synergy and engagement, we share outcomes of various local, national, regional, and global meetings on post-2015 development agenda with a wide range of stakeholders in our database. While incorporating many deliberation outcomes, we continue to mobilize stakeholders within ECOWAS, other African states, and especially zones in our country to actively participate in the national level consultation process.

The meeting started with an apology from the zonal coordinator Mr. Chima Jef Megwe at 11:30am. He introduced Ada Okoroacha as the Moderator of the meeting, and she invited Dr. Kola to the High table. Also invited to the high table was the Zonal Coordinator, Mr Chima Jef Megwe and Mrs. Florence Mbogu, the Protem State Coordinator for Abia State.The UNDP focal person for Imo State Mr. George Amakihe was also called to the high table.

The opening prayer was said by Rev. Iro at 11:40am after which Mrs. Mbogu spoke asking people to shift forward since there was no microphone. She said we are here to discuss the issues surrounding the post-2015 agenda for development which has been born as a result of the issues surrounding the MGD’s. The 2015, according to her, is taking over from MDG planning was done by a few the centre of the UN. She said the MDGs have achieved some results. What we are here to do is to represent the South East zone to deliberate what we want our world to be after 2015.

Mrs Mgogu further said that the UN Sec. Gen. said that the planning of post 2015 should be all inclusive and should be taken to the grass roots. It is assumed that participants know about MDGs and post 2015. We are here as the voice of the grass roots to make the post 2015 all embracing.

We are leaving out the session 1 because the media people are not yet around. The UN representative was asked to give us a goodwill message.

Mr. George Amakihe thanked Mrs. Mbogu and Dr. Tola. He is here as the state focal person for UNDP. He said that UNDP coordinates the process. This is an opportunity for us to reflect on where we are, where we are going and where we are coming from. The time is set for us to look at the activities of the MDGs to see the impact they have made. That the MDGs were just package from a different environment. That we should be able to see the relevance of the MDGs to our environment and what will work beyond the end of MDGs in 2015.

Chief Onyema Eke former NUJ chairman in Imo State introduced and called up to the high table. At this point the National convener of post 2015 deliberation Dr. Tola (who has already lost his voice) presented a paper.  He said the South East was the 5^th zone to organize the process of “ Post 2015 MDGs Development Agenda”. According to him people thought the MDGs was going to provide all that we needed for development. That the MDGs targets and indicator (18 target & 48 indicators) had 3 characteristics.

There are some groups that have been working with the United Nations including the CSOs to realize the MDGs by 2015. MDGs have their challenges. They have for instance not achieved their targets.

M & E is important to assess MDGs. We are at the 13^th year. The Sec. Gen. of UN said that although some targets have been made, collectively we will not achieve MDGs by 2015. There is therefore the need for us to address the unmet MDGs.

In the MDGs governance not expressly stated; security not part of the MDGs – Boko Haram etc.

On the11^th July 2011 the Secretary General’s Report said that we should look beyond 2015. There have been structured discussions by different groups to make beyond 2015 all inclusive. MDGs are suffering setbacks because it was not inclusive. The Post-2013 is moving round to see what the yearnings and aspirations of the people are so that the people’s voice will count. There is UNDG set up by the Sec Gen who is also saddled with the National discussions. UNDP works with the civil societies. Our meeting gives us an opportunity to come up with what we want Nigeria to be beyond 2015. 2015 and Beyond consultation is grass roots oriented and is therefore very important.

At this point we went back to session 1- press briefing to be led by Mr. Steve.

Zonal coordinator said that it is the time for the press to ask few questions. Dr. Kola was asked to make his presentation an address for the press briefing post-2015 MDG Development Framework.

The current Chairman of NUJ in Imo State came in to join the process. He lamented he could use only very few gentlemen of the press. He however promised adequate coverage of the even for the mobilization of the people for the post-2015.

At the end of his presentation Dr. Kola asked the journalist to ask questions. Mr. Mbogu said that we are partnering with the press and suggested that they should take the process to the grass roots for impact so that we will not make the mistake of the MDGs. The ex-chairman said that the process was not a formal press conference, but authorized the pressmen to ask questions.

QUESTIONS

Steve: You singled out corruption and blamed leadership the inability of the MDGs to realize their targets. Does your organization have the mechanism to evaluate the internal working of the MDGs? What are the methods of evaluating the results of the MDGs? No focal office of MDGs gives information to the press. How can the press be involved when they are shielded from the process?

Another Journalist: Everybody blames political leadership for the failure of the MDGs. What is the role of the electorates in ensuring that the political leadership does what it is supposed to do?

Answer: Dr. Kola gave the following answers:

1. Studies have been conducted to know what the MDGs are doing. They are a lot of studies that have been done for instance UNDP has copious documents.
2. Role of CSOs to ensure that government is doing what it is supposed to do. CSOs engage the govt. to ensure that govt. is doing what it is supposed to do.

• Also carry out studies to know the problem of MDGs. CSOs blow whistles to alert the people when the leadership is not doing the proper thing. They also write on the papers.
• For inaccessibility of the MDGs focal offices the press should expose such people
• Press should collaborate with the CSOs to criticize the government. The government is sensitive to what the press writes and the press should take advantage of this.

DELIBERATION PROCESS AND POLITICAL CONTEXT

This consultation was well attended and participants enthusiastically made contributions during the deliberations and group discussions and presentations. Journalists asked questions that showed they were deeply concerned with the way MDGs activities and their evaluations were being conducted – in response to the presentations made by Dr. Tola Winjobi. They were deeply concerned about the internal evaluation of the MDGs and the secrecy with which the political leaders have shrouded the MDGs processes.  Furthermore they were concerned with the apparent lack of monitoring of the political leaders by the electorates on the implementation of the MDGs.

Participants were also deeply concerned about the role of corruption and lack of transparency by the operators of the MDGs in stalling their targets expressed the fear that if nothing serious was done to reduce corruption and lack of transparency that the post-2015 will go the way of the MDGs. Participants were of the opinion that the post-2015 implementing and monitoring mechanisms should be enlarged a national, state and local coordinating mechanisms to include the CSOs, FBOs, the security agencies, the marginalized groups, the media and the government so that each of them shall be a check on the others.

CONCEPTUAL FOUNDATIONS

The group work and presentations produced the following in terms of vision:

GROUP 1:

1. A Nigeria where there is assessable and affordable Health care
2. A Nigeria where there is absence of gender based violence
3. A Nigeria where there is absence of injustice
4. A Nigeria where there is absence of insecurity
5. A Nigeria where there is sustainable environment
6. A Nigeria that is Youth and Child friendly

GROUP 2

1. A country where human rights advancement and protection are above board
2. A society where there is capacity building empowerment and self- reliance to the citizenry
3. A society where citizen participate in policy making
4. A society where citizen access quantitative health- care
5. A society where there is peace and security of the environment
6. A society where there is free flow of information in line with the freedom of information regime.
7. A society where there is free and compulsory education to the citizenry
8. A country where there is employment creation to the grassroots
9. A society that is corrupt-free
10. A country where there is ownership and participatory democracy
11. A country where there is institutional growth/sustenance of a Legal framework

GROUP 3

1. A world free of corruption
2. A world where citizen are giving space to actively participate in governance and empowered to hold government accountable for their actions
3. A world where food and nutrition is sufficient for the healthy growth and well-being of their citizen
4. A just world that recognizes and respect the right to participation of groups such as minority, women, youth and political, economic, cultural and spheres of life.
5. A nation free of corrupt practices where the need of the common man drives the development
6. We vision a country where citizens’ views and contribution are considered, projects and policies are people based, good governances and accountability assured, appointment is based on merit, poverty is eradicated, international human right and constitution are respected and equity in distribution of resources by Nigerian government without discrimination
7. A globe/Nation where human rights and zero corruption are assured, and developments grass root or community demand driven
8. A world where women, children, the marginalized and vulnerable groups have opportunity to development and have rights to health care services
9. A world that reaches out to the indigent women (widows), and where orphans and other vulnerable group access human right issues, health care services, education and other social services

The three groups also presented the following in terms of purpose:

GROUP 1

1. Mechanismthat checks injustice should be properly constituted involving enlarged stakeholders, including faith based organizations, vulnerable groups, CSOs, the disabled, the media, private sector and government
2. There should be an orientation of the citizens, that security is every body’s business, while government should take the lead.
3. Poverty reduction and economic empowerment.

GROUP 2

1. It should ensure that there is great impact on the transparency and accountability of the governance of the day through participatory democracy
2. Efficient establishment and management of institution to strive.
3. Credible democratic process that will ensure credible leadership at all levels
4. Equity and fairness in the governance of the day through equitable distribution of elective positions in the segments of national lives as it affects economic, political and social rights of the citizenry
5. Through attaining qualitative education in line with the best global practice e.g. target in education for all goals and budget on education
6. Incentive and grants to farmers for improved agricultural productivity
7. The use of agriculture extension farmer for monitoring and education of rural farmers each assigned to every political ward provision of mechanical agricultural farming implement
8. Through-the-visiting the National education policy for basic education as a right to be enforceable in the constitution

 GROUP 3

1. To ensure gender equality and equity in development especially with the marginalized communities and individual
2. The frame work should embrace all grass root challenges globally
3. Society where people (men, women, youth, children and the disabled) are empowered and strengthen to be productive members of the society with emphasis on gender consideration
4. For social inequalities:  including migrant populations, women

For political inequalities: including recognition, participation, decentralize decision making and data

Income inequalities: including recyclers, market traders social protection (people from all works of life)

For solutions for addressing inequalities including community-led solution – access to information and other social amenities

 In addition the groups presented the following in terms of principles:

 GROUP 1

1.  Fairness and equity in sharing resources and power
2. Greater involvement of the youth and women
3. Respect for environment sustainability.

GROUP 2

1. Accountability- there has to be accountability in the management of funds appropriate for various development projects as it affects the attainment of the MDGs.
2. Fairness: every relevant stakeholder must be considered in the issue of governance, by being fair to all parities
3. Transparency: there has to be transparency in every segment of our national engagement to ensure efficient management of resources
4. Gender sensitive: every sector of various groups like the vulnerable and physically challenged persons must be considered in the governance of the day through instituting legislative framework to accommodate the views of these groups.
5. Value re-orientation: there must be training and re-training of citizenry for attitude change.

 GROUP 3

1. Transparency: Every detail about the project published for the benefit of the partners (beneficiaries) and proper monitoring
2. Inclusiveness: gender sensitive and inclusion of the vulnerable, especially the physically disabled, in the planning, implementation etc
3. Accountability: Every stakeholder shall have a role to play in order to account for it
4. The framework should embrace quality personnel not appointing relations, friends who are novices in the execution and implementation of developmental projects on the basis of god-fatherism
5. Down – top project planning: the Rural people (grass root) should be involved in the planning stage of developmental project for its implementation
6. The design and adoption of participatory approach, bottom-top approach, equality, equity, fairness, accountability, probity, by all and assignment of responsibilities and duties and holding each other responsible for failure and monitoring

And in terms of criteria the groups came up with the following:

GROUP 1

1. Proposed goals address issues of human right.
2. Proposed goals address issues of environmental sustainability.
3. Proposed goals address issues of economic empowerment.

GROUP 2

1. Sustainable power through monitoring and reviewing power generation within a specified time frame by generating 2,000 mega watt annually.

GROUP 3

1. Supervision, monitoring and evaluation: This aspect shall include the community member who are there at the grass root while the CSOs shall participate actively in it with relevant information at hand
2. Develop a monitoring and evaluation tool that is acceptable and accessible and involve men of all relevant stake holders in the monitoring and evaluation of all projects including active participation of NGOs, faith based organization and youth led organization.

ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

For a way forward the consultation came up with the following:

• Expand the goal of MDG 6 to include other contemporary disease conditions like cancer, Hepatitis B, etc.
• Provide comprehensive health care services to the rural areas, which will focus more on the needs of the women.
• Place more emphasis on education by providing well-equipped laboratories in Secondary School and conducting student exchange programmes with other countries, especially francophone countries.
• Need to create more awareness about MDG’s or similar programmes in the rural areas to enable the people access the services available.
• Since the current emphasis on education is producing many graduates, there is a need to establish industries where these people will work.
• Ensure uninterrupted power supply, which will boost production.
• Engage in constructive dialogue with public servants to reduce the likelihood of strikes, which affects our economy.
• Engage in programmes that will enable us to prevent and manage natural disaster such as flooding, which devastated many communities in 2012.
• There is a need to focus o Malaria prevention by providing Rapid Diagnostic Kits, which will be used for outreach programmes with different segments of the community such as Churches, Schools, Health Centres, etc. This will help in detecting those that are infected and referring them for treatment.
• Government should revive the agricultural sector, whose ineffectiveness causes increase in food prices and neglects the young people who can make a career out of it.
• Provide loans to University graduates to help them start up their own businesses.
• Establish more industries in order to create employment and boost the manufacturing sector of the economy.
• Education should not be totally free.  Parents should pay part of the fees to enable them take up their responsibility as parents.
• Government should support the physically challenged by doing the following; creating a ministry and department at federal, state and local government levels to oversee their affairs; creating job opportunities for them; awarding scholarships to brilliant students at all levels; and provide opportunities for training them on handwork and Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
• Federal Government to strictly implement the issue of censoring films that are aired on our TV/Radio and products coming into Nigeria for moral & health reasons.
• To centralize or remove Health and Education system from Local   Government administration to ensure efficiency
• National, state, and Local Government should ensure they put up strategies at all levels to stop corruption in Nigeria at all levels and reduce crisis, strikes etc in the society.
• All levels of Government to provide creative employment and sustainable development.
• Funding for 2015 and beyond sensitization and campaign should be extended to states, communities, groups etc. for effective sensitization and information sharing.
• Govt. to establish effective strategy for post 2015 agenda.
• Free education for the disabled, marginalized, women and other vulnerable should be a priority.
• Effective Health insurance and social responsibilities for the citizens especially for the disabled, elderly, children, women, vulnerable etc.
• Government to encourage bottom to top information harnessing, collection, sensitization/awareness and be all inclusive in planning, implementation monitoring & evaluation of post 2015 agenda/campaign

Mr. Chima Jeff Megwai then spoke about the next steps at the National and Regional levels.  He reminded the participants that the zonal deliberations had taken place in five zones, including the Southeast.  When the deliberations is concluded in the sixth zone, a few members of the Campaign2015+ will be selected from each zone to attend the national Deliberations, in Abuja, where all the issues from the different zones will be harmonised. Finally, the positions taken after the National Deliberation will be taken to the regional deliberations will be taking place in one of the African Countries.

In terms of opportunities for synergy and engagement at the regional and global levels, Mr. Megwai added that some international conferences will be coming up shortly and some representatives of the organisation will attend.

Dr. Tola urged the members to constantly check their email and also respond when there are issues that require their contribution, especially within their Thematic Areas.  He asked them not to underestimate the level to which their contribution can take them.  Finally, he urged them to be involved in the discussions so that the organisers will use the opportunity to invite them to international conferences.

INTRODUCTION

In the decades preceding the turn of the new millennium, there were hopes and expectations that year 2000 would provide a magic wand that would provide solutions to many if not all of the intractable challenges facing humanity. It was a period where commonplace were slogans such as “health for all by the year 2000”, “education for all by the year 2000”, “food sufficiency for all by the year 2000”, “shelter for all by the year 2000”, “prosperity for all by the year 2000” and several other slogans. Poverty, hunger, starvation and diseases seemed to be the major challenges facing the developing nations while the developed economies seemed to be enjoying the benefits of development including human rights, democracy, and good governance.

The United Nations indeed felt concerned about the plight of common people especially in the global south. In order to address the problem of poverty and promote sustainable developments, the 8 millennium goals were adopted in September 2000 at the largest gathering of Heads of States committing both rich and poor countries to do all they can to eradicate poverty, promote human dignity and equality, and achieve peace, democracy and environmental stability. By this commitment the world has an unprecedented opportunity to improve the lives of billions of people by adopting practical approaches to meeting the Millennium Development Goals.

The MDGs and related targets and indicators serve as benchmarks of progress towards the shared vision of where we want to go and commitment to work together to get there. There are 18 targets and 48 indicators set to achieve the 8 goals by 2015. Three distinct characteristics of MDGs are that: it is people-centred; it is adaptable to SMART test; and it involves the development partners, among others.

There have been several  initiatives, alliances, formations, coalitions, organizations  including NGOs, CBOs, FBOs, trade unions, professional associations, student organizations, community groups, bilateral and multilaterals, and intergovernmentals working worldwide alongside the UN and governments in order to attain the vision and mission of the United Nations on the Millennium Declaration.

THE CHALLENGES OF ATTAINMENT  OF MDGs

Can we attain MDGs by 2015? Yes, No! If “Yes” what happens, do we rest on our oars ? and if “No” what about it, do we become despondent? The need to monitor and evaluate performance on MDGs implementation is not only important but also highly necessary so as to know whether the programme is on course or derailing, or to know how far we have gone, and where we need to strengthen our efforts. Monitoring and evaluation efforts have shown some astounding results giving way to despondency on attaining MDGs by 2015.

Thirteen years on from the original adoption of the MDGs at the 2000 Millennium Summit, and two years left to 2015 it seems all the efforts by stakeholders towards achieving MDGs are not drastic enough. According to the UN Secretary-General, though there is some remarkable progress made in some countries, collectively we are falling short in the achievement of MDGs globally. The consequence of these shortfalls, further aggravated by the combined effects of the global food, climate, energy and economic crises, is that improvements in the lives of the poorest are happening at an unacceptably slow pace while in some countries, hard fought gains are being eroded. At the current pace, several of the eight MDGs and associated targets are likely to be missed in many countries. The challenges are most severe in the least developed countries (LDCs), land-locked developing countries (LLDCs) and some small island developing states (SIDS).

Therefore, if MDGs cannot be achieved by 2015 (which is very certain), the need to look beyond the target year is imperative. CSOs therefore have a crucial role to play in further engaging the governments to address those MDG lines they could not achieve at the set date and do more on those they achieved. If governments achieved MDGs by 2015 (which is very uncertain), imperative is the need for the CSOs to further engage governments in monitoring and evaluation  so as to consolidate on and not to derail from the gains hitherto achieved.

Though the MDGs are people-centred and development focused, lacking are the essential ingredients of human rights, peace and justice which are the bedrocks of development. The issues of democracy, good governance, and human rights, are not expressly stated in the Millennium Declaration though they can be linked in some way. However justice, peace, and security especially global terrorism are difficult to situate within the purview of the 8 goals.

CONSULTATIONS FOR A POST-2015 UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT AGENDA

The need for all to look beyond 2015 MDGs is emphasised in the 2010 Annual report of the Secretary-General (11 July 2011) titled, “Accelerating progress towards the Millennium Development Goals: options for sustained and inclusive growth and issues for advancing the United Nations development agenda beyond 2015”. The Millennium Development Goal summit requested the Secretary-General to make recommendations in his annual reports, as appropriate, for further steps to advance the United Nations development agenda beyond 2015.  Over the coming months, structured discussions, in different United Nations forums, will enable Member States and other relevant stakeholders especially the CSOs to make their own assessments on how the Millennium Development Goals should be reviewed and rethought. The post-2015 development framework is likely to have the best development impact if it emerges from an inclusive, open and transparent process with multi-stakeholder participation. Using established global, regional and national mechanisms and processes is one way to ensure that such deliberations benefit from the wide range of lessons learned and the experiences of different stakeholders.  Several formal and informal meetings are scheduled in the run-up to 2015. In addition to taking stock of Millennium Development Goals progress, these could discuss elements of a post-2015 framework.

The UN has started the work programme to foster a broad based, open and inclusive dialogue with all stakeholders, including civil society actors, on the post-2015 agenda. A key part of this will be a global conversation on post-2015 to capture the voices of citizens.  As indicated in the UN Secretary General’s report to the General Assembly in September 2011, the UN Millennium Campaign will act as one of the outreach mechanisms to civil society to gather inputs and feedback on the post-2015 agenda and facilitate dialogue with the UN system. The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) have been mandated by the Secretary-General to lead the work on the post-2015 framework. A Task Team of senior technical experts from UNDP and DESA, chaired by Olav Kjorven (UNDP) and Jomo Kwame Sundaram (DESA), and supported by the full UN system, was set up in January 2012 to define a system-wide vision for the post-2015 agenda.

The UN Secretary-General has also set up a think than group called High Level Panel to whom the reports on various consultations would be submitted. The HLP would advise the UN Sec-Gen on the reports. Among the HLP are two Nigerians: Ms Amina Ibrahim (Mohammed), and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. The Task Team is   mandated to produce a study which will serve as a roadmap for the work of a High-Level Panel that the UN Secretary General has appointed third quarter of 2012. The study will critically appraise the current MDG framework, map on-going activities inside and outside of the UN on defining a post-2015 agenda, and assess challenges that have become more prominent in the last decade.

As part of this work, UNDP, working with other UN Development Group (UNDG) agencies, is supporting consultations at the national level in up to 50 countries and producing and distributing guidance notes to the UN Country Teams to facilitate these exercises. The consultations are  set up in a way that facilitates the inclusion of voices of poor people and those that are vulnerable; although the modes of doing this will depend on the country context. The detailed list of countries and type of support that will be offered are already being shared  UNDP is also facilitating 8 regional/global consultations to discuss thematic and cross-cutting issues in post- 2015 global agenda, such as inequality, sustainability, population and governance. As a general principle, civil society organisations are invited to participate in all levels of the consultations.

The CS has a key role to play in the various deliberations towards post-2015 development agenda. Campaign2015+, Beyond 2015, GCAP etc have been involved in all the processes. Beyond 2015 has appointed Campaign2015+International to lead the CS deliberations in Nigeria.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CAMPAIGN2015+ INTERNATIONAL AND BEYOND 2015

By default, Campaign2015+ International is a staunch member of Beyond 2015 and an international member of GCAP and CIVICUS. CIVICUS has funded our project before on poverty hearing in Nigeria. Our members have served in various committees and discussion groups set up by Beyond 2015 since 2011. Few of these would suffice:

• We were since April 2011 on Beyond-2015’s discussion group on Essential Must-Haves for a global development framework
• Since 23 August 2011 we have been part of Beyond 2015 governance working group
• In September 2011, We made substantive contributions to the  commissioned  paper from a consultant, Kel Currah, to work closely from Beyond 2015’s must-haves to flesh out how the principles of an inclusive, participative and legitimate process would translate in practice;
• We are also a contributory member of Beyond 2015’s Position paper on UN Thematic Group on Conflict, Fragility and Disaster.
• In May 2012 we were an active member of 3rd Teleconference Berlin Working Group on MDG Advocacy & Post-2015
• In February 2012 we contested though lost the membership of  the Executive Committee of Beyond 2015.

Though with membership in some African countries, Campaign 2015+ is located in Nigeria  which is one of the countries that UNDG-led consultations would take place. This would afford us the opportunity to input into the UN discussions. Apart from its large membership across Nigeria, it is the only coalition that has grassroots reaches which would make it easy for us to have all-inclusive discussions on post-2015 global development agenda.  Also, Campaign2015+ knows the issue bordering on post-2015 more so that its members are members of Beyond 2015 while its convener led GCAP campaign in Nigeria for three years. It is interesting to note that it is the only coalition not only in Nigeria but also in Africa primarily established to collaborate with governments to attain MDGs and to campaign beyond 2015 on development issue. Importantly, Campaign2015+ is the only coalition so far in Nigeria that has started discussions already on post-2015 agenda as it has solely organised several meetings already (we have report to back this up) while it collaborated once with a Faith-based group to organize another one.

THE EFFORTS SO FAR

Campaign2015+ in the third quarter of 2012  formed a national think tank to strategize for holding national consultations. The first meeting hosted by JDPC took place in Ijebu-Ode in early September 2012. Campaign2015+ also single handedly sponsored and organized consultations in two states – Osun and Ondo States – and the deliberations continue. We expect each zone or state or local group to organize theirs also bordering on post-2015 MDG framework. Meanwhile, there have been several meetings now organized by various states especially in the southwest while individual groups like NYSC-MDG Group held theirs in Jalingo, Taraba State on post-2015 development agenda.

Towards the end of November 2012 having been appointed the Lead Agency to organize and coordinate deliberations on post-2015, Campaign2015+ International was supported by Beyond 2015 based in Brussels. Hence we are supporting small hubs of deliberations across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria.

We were/are to be supported with $10,000 for organizing zonal meetings and $5000 for national and regional meetings including secretariat support. On the modality for organizing the deliberation, we threw the debate open, and people agreed that we should have zonal deliberations so that the outcome would be all-inclusive. So, we are supporting each zonal deliberation with a sum ranging from N150,000-N200,000. The deliberations started in the second week of December till January 2013.

However, Campaign2015+ members agreed on the need to organize one national deliberation but we need to source for fund for this as the current grant cannot cover both the zonal and national. We have set up a small hub of three people to map out how we can contact the UN Country team for identifying with us and support to organize the national deliberation where we are going to bring to Abuja representatives of Campaign2015 from each zone/state. If you have any suggestion as to getting financial support for that one national deliberation, let us know. The Abuja deliberation would afford us the opportunity of formalising/ratifying the appointment of Ad-Hoc Committee as full-fledged Steering Committee or Governing Council.

I am happy to inform us too that Alliance for the Southern Civil Society on Health is partnering with Campaign2015+ in organizing an international interface and discussion of results on post-2015 health related issues in Abuja. Campaign2015+ has also been appointed as a Lead Author and a team member among ten who will be directing the work of the drafting team in synthesizing the inputs which Beyond2015 and other key partners have gathered thus far on the vision, purpose, principles and criteria of a post-2015 framework.

For more information contact:

+2348030618326, campaign2015@gmail.com, chuksojidoh@yahoo.com

http://campaign2015plus.blogspot.com

http://facebook.com/campaign2015international

http://m.facebook.com/groups/263518357002767?refid=27

It gives me pleasure to address you today on the current critical global development issue tagged “post-2015 MDGs development framework” as it affects Nigeria.

In order to address the problem of poverty and promote sustainable developments, the 8 millennium goals were adopted in September 2000 at the largest gathering of Heads of States committing both rich and poor countries to do all they can to eradicate poverty, promote human dignity and equality, and achieve peace, democracy and environmental stability. By this commitment the world has an unprecedented opportunity to improve the lives of billions of people by adopting practical approaches to meeting the Millennium Development Goals. The MDGs and related targets and indicators serve as benchmarks of progress towards the shared vision of where we want to go and commitment to work together to get there. There are 18 targets and 48 indicators set to achieve the 8 goals by 2015.

Twelve years on from the original adoption of the MDGs at the 2000 Millennium Summit, it seems all the efforts by stakeholders towards achieving MDGs by 2015 were not drastic enough. Though there is some remarkable progress made in some countries, collectively we are falling short in the achievement of MDGs especially in Nigeria. The consequence of these shortfalls, further aggravated by the combined effects of the global food, climate, energy, economic crises, and recently, terrorism, is that improvements in the lives of the poorest are happening at an unacceptably slow pace. Nigeria is fraught with despondency in the face of bad leadership, hunger, starvation, preventable diseases, moral decadence and corruption.

At the current pace, several of the eight MDGs and associated targets are likely to be missed in Nigeria. Nigerians are suffering amidst plenty as we have both human and material resources. About 72 % Nigerians are still living in poverty (Nigeria Bureau of Statistics 2011) while our youths are passing out from higher institutions without jobs thus turning some of them to emergency robbers while many are desperate to get out of the country. Our educational system from primary to tertiary level is in shambles while our health systems are in abysmal decay as our national budget on health has never reached 15% as canvassed for internationally. Both infant mortality and maternal mortality ratios are increasing by the day as women are still dying while giving birth.

Myriads are the challenges against attainment of MDGs in Nigeria. Things that are supposedly to work are not working. Vision 20-2020 cannot see any vision for Nigeria to be one of the 20 topmost economies of the world as industries are relocating to neighboring countries like Sierra Leone and Ghana while many are folding up. Power supply in Nigeria is an albatross and has been erratic or epileptic throwing many into further poverty. Our oil is a paradox as we import what we produce because the greedy cartels and political saboteurs are not making our refineries work for selfish reasons. Religious and ethnic crises have become the order of the day. Insecurity has become a major challenge and the bane of development especially with Boko Haram unleashing terror on innocent Nigerians while the federal government seems helpless.

Nigeria needs good leadership, not political caterwauls. It needs leaders that have political will to transform Nigeria from this state of squalor to an enviable position among the comity of nations. Nigeria needs committed leaders that are ready to stamp out corruption by sealing the leakages of public funds into private pockets and genuinely prosecuting sleazebag.

Looking beyond MDGs 2015 globally, the focus now is post-2015 development framework which centers on sustainable development goals. The need to look beyond 2015 MDGs is emphasized in the 2010 Annual Report of the Secretary-General (11 July 2011) titled, “Accelerating progress towards the Millennium Development Goals: options for sustained and inclusive growth and issues for advancing the United Nations development agenda beyond 2015”. The Millennium Development Goal summit requested the Secretary-General to make recommendations in his annual reports, as appropriate, for further steps to advance the United Nations development agenda beyond 2015.

Between now and coming months, structured discussions, in different United Nations forums, will enable Member States (including Nigeria) and other relevant stakeholders especially the CSOs to make their own assessments on how the Millennium Development Goals should be reviewed and rethought. Fortunately, Nigeria is one of the fifty countries that UN-led national deliberations would be organized while two Nigerians are on the High Level Panel set up by the UN Secretary-General. The post-2015 development framework is likely to have the best development impact if it emerges from a broad-based, inclusive, open and transparent process with multi-stakeholder participation. Using established global, regional and national mechanisms and processes is one way to ensure that such deliberations benefit from the wide range of lessons learned and the experiences of different stakeholders.

Campaign2015+ International believes that civil society as well as the fourth estate of the realm has a key role to play in the various deliberations towards post-2015 development agenda. And thus, it is the only coalition so far in Nigeria that has started discussions already on post-2015 agenda as its members have been organising deliberations at the grassroots level. This southwest zonal deliberation is an effort geared at sensitising the people to participate actively in post-2015 global development agenda by making their voices count in the process and implementation of the new sustainable development goals. The deliberations which have started at the local level would go through the six geo-political zones of Nigeria to be consummated at the national level to coincide with the UN-led national deliberation before March2013. We encourage individuals, organizations, and the press to make input into these post-2015 development framework discussions so that the voices of Nigerians would be heard on the kind of world they want, in particular, the kind of Nigeria they desire.

We therefore call on the Nigerian government, the Nigerian members of the High Level Panel, UN systems, development agencies, civil society organisations and all stakeholders to join in a synergistic partnership with Campaign2015+international to ensure that the poor and those highly affected by poverty in Nigeria have a voice in the process of developing a more sustainable global development framework.

– See more at: http://localhost/campaign2015/an-address-presented-by-dr-tola-winjobi-convener-campaign-2015-international-marking-the-formal-launching-of-post-2015-global-development-framework-deliberations-in-nigeria/#sthash.si7FZe61.dpuf