World-renowned economist calls on leaders to arrive at the New York meeting next month "with the agreed plans, partnerships, and financing to accelerate our progress"
Professor Jeffrey Sachs has outlined eight "major gaps" which need to be overcome if the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are to be achieved.
These unmet objectives are in smallholder agriculture, education, water and sanitation, health, climate financing, empowering girls and women, infrastructure, and strategies and goals at the local level.
His comments come ahead of the MDG summit, taking place in New York next month.
"The MDG Summit this year gives us the opportunity to scale up the best thinking and experience," the world-renowned economist recently wrote in The Commonwealth Ministers Reference Book 2010. "The world has the crucial opportunity to innovate, by creating new institutions and new ways of doing things, in both the public and private spheres."
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We eagerly welcome a big global push to move more aggressively on bridging the MDG gaps that exsists between sub-Saharan Africa and the rest of the developing world.
We are however sadden that Professor Sachs has not made energy efficiency a higher priority for the more than 90% of SSA population dependent on biomass as their primary source of fuel.
This is a glaring omission considering that the UNDP states that "Energy is central to sustainable development and poverty reduction efforts. It affects all aspects of development -- social, economic, and environmental -- including livelihoods, access to water, agricultural productivity, health, population levels, education, and gender-related issues. None of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) can be met without major improvement in the quality and quantity of energy services in developing countries."
The UNDP's statement above is one important reason why energy poverty alleviation is sometimes called the missing MDG.
Mr. Sachs, there is still time to redress this oversight.
J. Kim Chaix The Charcoal Project