Failure to respect human rights in the Pacific

Failure to respect human rights in the Pacific means MDGs are excluding the region’s poorest people

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are failing the world’s poorest people, including those in the Pacific region, because governments are ignoring and abusing their human rights, Amnesty International says as heads of states prepare to meet to review progress on the MDGs at a United Nations (UN) summit in New York on 20-22 September.

The MDGs remain the most prominent global initiative to address poverty and were drawn from the UN’s Millennium Declaration adopted 10 years ago and agreed by World leaders who committed then to achieving the targets by 2015.

“Unless Pacific leaders agree to take urgent steps to uphold the human rights of people living in poverty, the poorest and most disadvantaged people in the region will never realise the goals and objectives contained within the MDGs,” says Patrick Holmes, CEO of Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand.

“The inspirational language of the MDGs is not enough; people must be able to hold governments to account when they fail to uphold human rights. They should be able to challenge corruption or neglect through courts and regulatory bodies to ensure governments actually fulfil their obligations.”
Globally more than one billion people experience human rights violations that cause extreme poverty. An estimated 70% of those living in poverty are women. Yet MDG efforts in many countries fail to address the wide-spread discrimination women face in accessing food, water, sanitation and housing, while discriminatory policies, laws and practices that underpin gender-based violence and undermine progress on all the MDGs, have been left to fester.

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is one example of a country whose policies have ignored the needs of women while trying to meet its MDG targets. Violence against women is endemic in PNG, where it is estimated that nearly two million women suffer from violence in their own homes. The lack of ineffective policing to prevent and investigate gender-based violence, or provide an effective remedy to victims, means violence against women goes largely unpunished.
New Zealand plays a crucial role in supporting Pacific nations to achieve the MDGs, and has affirmed its commitment to development in the Pacific. Amnesty International welcomes this commitment and is calling on the NZ Government to ensure its policies and strategies are consistent with international human rights standards.

“The international community, including New Zealand, has an obligation to uphold the rights of the world’s poorest people. This means that aid programmes should focus on addressing the human rights abuses that underwrite poverty, such as lack of access to adequate food, health care, housing and education,” says Holmes.

“Such programmes should also allow the voices of the most marginalised people to be heard, ensuring participation of those living in poverty in developing plans,” adds Holmes.

“The message for Pacific leaders when they come together in New York next week is clear: they must act now to put human rights at the centre of efforts to improve the lives of those living in poverty.”

Note to editors: Amnesty International’s new Secretary General, Salil Shetty, is leading the organisation’s delegation to the MDGs Summit in New York. Salil Shetty joined Amnesty International in July 2010.

Prior to joining Amnesty International, Salil Shetty was the Director of the United Nations Millennium Campaign from 2003 to 2010. Under his leadership the Millennium Campaign grew into a powerful global campaigning force, supporting citizens in their efforts to hold governments to account for the achievement of the MDGs.

Work on the MDGs is part of Amnesty International’s Demand Dignity campaign, which aims to end the human rights violations that drive and deepen global poverty. The campaign will mobilise people all over the world to demand that governments, corporations and others who have power listen to the voices of those living in poverty and recognise and protect their rights. For more information visit www.demanddignity.org.nz
The MDGs, which remain the most prominent global initiative to address poverty, were drawn from the Millennium Declaration adopted 10 years ago and agreed by World leaders who committed to achieving the targets by 2015.
The MDGs focus on eight areas: (1) eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; (2) providing universal primary education; (3) promoting gender equality and empowering women; (4) reducing child mortality; (5) improving maternal health; (6) combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; (7) ensuring environmental sustainability; and (8) developing a global partnership for development.

ENDS

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