Bishop Paul E. Mususu, Executive Director Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) Plenary address: Micah Africa Regional Workshop, Sept 20th-23rd 2004 The Micah Challenge and Africa This paper discusses how Church Leadership in Africa can interface with government and how they both can move together taking advantage of the opportunity rendered by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Firstly, I introduce the MDGs and deepened understanding of how they fit into an Integral Mission promoted by the Micah Network. Secondly, we share best practices of advocacy focusing on the Micah Challenge. A THE ISSUES 1. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) When 189 governments from the North and South, as representatives of their citizens, signed up to the Millennium Declaration in the United Nations Millennium General Assembly of September 2000, there was a palpable sense of urgency. Urgency to free our fellow men, women and children from the abject and dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty to which more than a billion of them are currently subjected 1 The Millennium Development Goals (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) (viii) Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger Achieve universal primary education Promote gender equality, empower women Reduce child mortality Improve maternal health Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases Ensure environmental sustainability Develop a global partnership for development We are 11 years from the deadline set by world leaders to meet the MDGs and as approach the 2005, we know already that many counties are not on track to achieve them by 2015 especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. Heads of states in Africa have develop a bad reputation when it comes to international commitments especially in the fields of social and economic advancement leaving us with no option, but to critically question commitments that come out of high-level global meetings. The church leadership generally still enjoys the trust and respect of many in Africa but the evangelicals are rather too slow in their response to social and economic challenges. As stated, this is one rare opportunity we can t afford to lose. Why can t so many of our Church leaders jump on this great opportunity to declare the good news of Jesus Christ of Luke 4:18 asserted by the MDGs? I believe its only ignorance on the part of many church leaders that keeps them from engaging in advocacy work. It s the church s business to engage in social and economic concerns of its members. Sometimes church leaders feel too spiritual for such interface with the UN and civil society, not to mention the government. 1 Global Future First Quarter 2004
2. Poverty in Africa It almost seems as if the MDGs were tailored for the African continent. Despite Africa s vast natural resources, its people remain in the deadly grip of poverty, squalor and destitution while buffeted by environmental degradation and brutal tyranny. If we have to advocate and change this trend, there s need for us to identify the causative factors. Dr George Ayittey says the internal factors include bad leadership, corruption, economic mismanagement, political tyranny, senseless civil wars, military vandalism, exploitation and oppression of the peasant majority, denial of civil liberties and capital flight among others. 2 I can only add that urbanization while unemployment is on the rise is also a contributing factor. He adds the external factors as being legacies of colonialism, the lingering effects of the slave trade, Western imperialism and the pernicious international economic system 3 Africa is only thought of as a beneficiary and recipient of the promised assistance and never considered as one to render that assistance. There is yet another angle I would like us to consider in discussing the poverty of Africa and this is the fact that pre-colonial, colonial and early years of independence, many African villages grew enough and assorted food to last them to the next harvest. It never was accepted to take food from the urban area to the village, as is the case now. People in the city went to get food from the village but only took for the poor some other commodities such soap, sugar cooking oil and clothes, which could not easily be found in villages. The village was a haven for all sorts of foods. May be with very few exceptions, most villagers are now depending so much on the urban relatives for survival. This was never the case before. When SAP was introduced most people lost jobs and yet elected to remain in the urban areas. This has created a problem of too many unemployed and unproductive people in cities chasing after a few goods and services. For their survival, they can only turn to the few relatives in employment or engage in other acts or vices to make ends meet. In this case crime increases as well. In his critique, Dr Ayittey calls the SAP as the Right Medicine but with a Wrong Doctor, a Wrong Nurse and Wrong Tactics which he calls, the acrobatics on reform. The biggest contributor to the poverty levels in Africa is the strangling debt burden that each country has had to carry decades from regimes that went before us. Only a few countries can be said to have survived the debt trap and have maintained lower figures in debt balances. The majority of these countries would require total debt cancellation to survive. 3. Lack of Political Will African governments do not find difficulties in signing international treaties or charters. The MDGs are not the first to be signed for. What seems to be the problem is the lack of political will among many leaders. My interaction with Civil Society Organisations confirms this as the biggest problem in many African countries. With political will, governments would by now be promoting the MDGs in their various countries. African government greatly appreciates ignorant citizens who don t hold them accountable. As a matter of fact, there are many countries in Africa that have not even launched the MDGs and for those who have, there s very little publicity done. 2 Ayittey G.B.N. Africa in Chaos Pg 342 3 Ibid Pg 342
4. Globalisation The Declaration built on pledges made in the series of important UN Conferences of 1990s and seeks to recognize the rising tide of discontent with the lopsided benefit of globalisation. Proponents of the free market economy argue that it benefits the industrialized as well as the developing countries, the consumers as well as the producers, and it fosters competition by spreading technological knowledge, thereby raising the level of productivity and profitmaximization everywhere. Such integration involves the removal of barriers to the free flow of trade and capital, which will in turn set limits to the role of the government and reduce the possibility of corruption, stagnation, and bureaucracy the evils that have hindered the growth of developing economies. Far from reducing poverty, the capitalist global system has become the main contributing factory in the expansion and deepening of this major scourge. Free market led to emergence of a transitional aristocracy of materially wealthy and politically powerful people against increasing masses of poor and deprived people unable to satisfy their basic needs 4. B PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS 1. The UN Strategy No matter what reaction people may have, I want to commend the UN for taking the lead to think broadly and globally in their consideration of the poor and the rich. The MDGs represent for the first time a compact between rich and poor countries. Further we need to add that poverty cannot be addressed by only efforts of multilateral institutions, international financial institutions or governments; but also by the collective efforts of citizens/people, organisations, right from grassroots to the global levels; and from different policy and political actors of all levels. Given the proliferation of UN Conferences and commitments, it s important for us to understand the uniqueness of the MDGs in many respects: The UNDP launched the Millennium Project to recommend the best strategies for achieving the MDGs. For a period of three years the Millennium Project will work to devise a recommended plan of implementation that will allow all developing countries to meet the MDGs and thereby substantially improve the human condition by 2015. As an advisory body to the UN, the Millennium Project will report its findings directly to the UN Secretary General. This is a bold ambition which both necessary and achievable. What is news in the explicit recognition of this fact at the highest levels of the UN system, and this is symbolized in the conception of the Millennium Campaign. 4 Padilla, C (2003): The Impact of Globalisation on the Poor
2. Synergise all efforts A common regional strategy is needed to achieve the Goals: Governments, Civil Societies and the Church should come together to complement each other in order to fulfill the MDGs. We need to acknowledge the differences among countries and within each of the countries, taking into account the deterioration of social and economic conditions in many areas, but at the same time, set the region on a shared path to accelerated progress and achieve the MDG targets by 2015. It seems that Civil Society is already doing great things in the campaign and advocate for MDGs we need to synergise our efforts. The first meeting of Millennium Campaign was held in Maputo, Southern Africa (December 17 18, 2003) so as church we need to join hands with both Civil Society and government. Jesus said, for whoever is not against us is for us Mk 9:40 3. Capacity building for Church Leaders Most of the church leaders would like to be involved in the campaign but they are limited by the lack of knowledge or limited understanding. There is need to capacity build the church leadership in order for them to engage in advocacy. A prominent cross-cutting theme is the need for capacity-building and strengthening of church leaders to increase their potential effectiveness at MDG advocacy. The church leaders once capacity built will be able to monitor the implementation of the MDGs and hold their governments accountable. 4. Build on the existing projects Many organizations are linking their existing campaigns on health, education, HIV/AIDS, trade, peace and aid to the Goals. As Evangelicals, we need to build on the Jubilee 2000 campaign for debt cancellation. The MDGs do not require us to start new campaigns. We should in fact learn from our past mistakes to strengthen our strategy. Some programmes are already connected. HIV/AIDS has direct links to poverty. When one is infected and is so poor such that he cannot afford a good diet, the virus takes its toil and may die quickly. Secondly, in some cases the poverty has driven some girls to sale their bodies for sex to get money resulting in them being infected. Some people have lost employment due to SAP, which is the World Bank and IMF programme affecting so many in the developing countries. 5. The need to provide leadership Citizens of various countries have voiced concerns over some of these goals but found it difficult to build strong movements in their various nation states. While people still have the trust and confidence in the Church leadership we must take advantage and provide leadership in the campaign for MDGs. This is what the Micah Challenge is all about. There s need for us to look inwards to deepen on Christian Commitment to work for and with poor communities. But we also must look outwards to influence leaders of rich and poor nations to fulfill their public promise to achieve the MDG and so halve absolute global poverty by 2015. In a non-confrontational manner, the campaign should engage mainstream politician and parliamentarians and that should not lose funds on Goal 8 where issues of aid, debt relief, more trade opportunities and fair trade rules and increased technology transfer are imbedded.
6. Political Will The challenge now is to build political will for the achievement of the goals bearing in mind that today, 1200 million people struggle to survive on less than one dollar a day; 113 million children (2/3 of them girls), do not have access to primary education; out of four children born, one will not reach the age of five and more than 13 million children (95% in Africa) are orphans due to HIV/AIDS. What is keeping the world from achieving the goals is not lack of finances or technical capability it is the lack of political will. Conclusion The Micah Challenge should strategically set up benchmarks on how to assess and evaluate the success of its campaign. A common regional strategy is needed to achieve the Goals: one that acknowledges differences among countries and within each country; that takes into account the deterioration of social economic conditions in many areas; but that, at the same time sets the region on a shared path to accelerate progress and achieve the MDG targets by 2015. The goals are clearly achievable. In fact, civil actors have criticized them as being not millennium but minimum development goals. Indeed, we believe that to set the bar any lower than this would be morally unacceptable. We have not only the financial wherewithal but also the technical knowledge to realize the Goals.