Middle East / North Africa and the Millennium Development Goals ...

Middle East / North Africa and the Millennium Development Goals
MDG reports be worked out by governments in cooperation with civil society
and representatives of international organizations and bilateral donors
(ANND 2004; Fariz 2003; WFUNA / NSI 2004, 15 f.).
Egypt and Morocco may differ somewhat from the other MENA countries
in this regard; but this too is assessed very differently by different observers.
Some persons interviewed in connection with this study claimed that
the governments of Egypt and Morocco have again and again spoken of
the MDGs in addresses to their populations, noting that the media in both
countries report more or less frequently on the national MDG implementation
(GTZ / KfW 2005b). Others, though, denied this categorically.
4.2 Commitment of the MENA governments to the MDGs
Whether and to what extent political decision-makers are really committed
to the MDG agenda is of course the crucial question here – not least for
decisions on the role that development cooperation (DC) can play in the
implementation of the MDGs. DC can of course not achieve much if its
partner governments are not really committed to tackling the problems involved.
Unfortunately, we cannot say much about this because we have no
hard evidence but only rather vague indications.
One such indication is whether a country has already presented a national
MDG report and whether this report was prepared by the country itself.
For reasons of national ownership, all developing countries are actually
expected to prepare their own national MDG reports – with international
organizations at best providing advisory and technical support.
Thus far 13 of the 20 MENA countries have prepared MDG reports – and
Egypt has already presented its second one (see Table A14, Annex). A report
on Sudan is in preparation. The same cannot be said of Iraq, of Libya
or of the four Gulf countries Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE. The reports
on Iran, Syria, and Yemen were issued by the national governments.
Egypt commissioned a government institute to prepare the national report.
But the reports on Algeria, Mauritania, the Palestinian Territories, and
Saudi Arabia had to be prepared by a UN institution. The Palestinian Authority
has even been reported not to have any interest in preparing and releasing
a national MDG report.
German Development Institute 109