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Posted 6:25 AM by Mary

CEBO MDG RESOLUTION
April 15, 2004:

INTRODUCTION

In 2000, 189 Governments from the North and the South firmly committed to work together to build a safer, more prosperous and equitable world for all by 2015.

They agreed to eight commitments, the Millenium Development Goals:
www.un.org/milleniumgoals/
designed to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, eliminate gender inequality and environmental degradation, and ensure access to education, health care and clean water. The hope for global partnership and multilateralism was palpable.

Now the political will for world cooperation erodes daily. In the present allocation of resources towards military budgets and armaments, the sufferings of poverty have been set aside,
the human rights of the world's poorest have been ignored, and hope for a better and more peaceful future for all has been dimmed."

In an effort to strengthen a global resolve to get back on track, the United Nations has launched a Campaign on behalf of these eight Millennium Development Goals:

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achieve 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. Develop a global partnership for development.

PREAMBLE

Whereas, Human rights and human development are profoundly tied, and lie at the heart of the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals, and each goal can best be achieved when we address the Human Rights issues of equality, non-discrimination, participation, inclusion, accountability and social justice - as well as international solidarity and cooperation, according to Mark Malloch-Brown, administrator, UNDP;

Whereas, the cost to achieve these goals has been set at approximately 100 billion dollars, a moderate amount in light of the cost of wars in Iraq, Bosnia, Sudan, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Eritrea, etc.;

Whereas, The American Ethical Union through The National Service Conference, The American Humanist Association, and The International Humanist and Ethical Union are all accredited non-governmental organizations at The United Nations dedicated to the furtherance of human rights throughout our several history, as attested by our many resolutions in support of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

Whereas, representing our individual organizations but joined in common cause, the several NGO representatives at the United Nations of these aforenamed Humanist organizations have formed CEBO, the Council of Ethics-Based
Organizations at the United Nations, in order to share information and raise awareness of ethical humanist responses to UN-related initiatives;

and further, representatives of aforenamed organizations have joined with The United Nations Department of Public Information to plan a World Conference, “Millennium Development Goals: Civil society Takes Action”, in pursuit of NGO
commitment to achieve the MDG’s.

We, therefore, urge our organizations: The American Ethical Union, The American Humanist Association and The International Humanist and Ethical Union to join with us and commit to the fulfillment of these Millenium Development
Goals (MDGS) both at home and abroad, by passing this Resolution.

RESOLUTION:

WHEREAS
all 191 United Nations Member States have pledged to meet these goals by the year 2015,

We urge our organizations and their members to also endorse and adopt the Millennium Development Goals;

and further,
We urge our organizations and their members to take moral and ethical responsibility to commit resources, as they are able, to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals;

and to develop educational materials and programs to educate the public on the means of achieving these Millennium Development goals;

and further,
We urge our organizations and members in the United States to most particularly direct their efforts to building political and economic support for these Millenium Development Goals in the legislative and corporate arenas.

Posted 10:43 PM by Mary

Millennium Development Goals