Content:
> Welcome to the Special Conference on the Millennium Development Goals!
> Key Events
> Achieving the Millennium Development Goals Through the use of ICTs
> Eliminating Gender Disparity in Primary and Secondary Education
> Poverty Eradication through greater access to services for family planning
> Engaging Youth in Promoting and Implementing the MDGs

Special Conference

Contact: specialconference@bermun.de

Welcome to the Special Conference on the Millennium Development Goals!

Here is a short guideline to the topics we are going to discuss in our forum during the BERMUN Conference 2005. This should give you a good impression and a head start on your research. We expect you to research these topics thoroughly and to have at least one resolution prepared on any of the four topics. Good luck with your research!

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

The Millennium Declaration was unanimously adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 2000. The Secretary General’s report (A/56/326) of 2001 refined the declaration into eight goals:

	Goal 1 Eradicate Extreme Poverty		Goal 5 Improve Maternal Health
	Goal 2 Universal Primary Education		Goal 6 Combat HIV/AIDS & Other Diseases
	Goal 3 Gender Equality Empower Women		Goal 7 Environmental Sustainability
	Goal 4 Reduce Child Mortality		Goal 8 Global Partnership

Key Events:

Achieving the Millennium Development Goals Through the use of ICTs:

Information and Communication Technologies are technologies such as radio and the newer digital technologies like computers, satellites, mobile phones and the Internet; basically the technology used to handle information and aid communication.
ICTs can play a key role in development and poverty reduction. They can promote development in a number of ways by decreasing the cost and increasing the speed and ease of communicating. ICTs are also of great advantage for the private sector, i.e. individual producers, firms and markets, since they can dramatically improve their performance. Furthermore, they can increase access to and the quality of education and health care, increase transparency of the government, and improve the service delivery to the poor.
Conversely, countries where information flows poorly, communication is difficult or even intentionally constrained, and knowledge is not easily accessible, tend to be low-growth countries caught in poverty traps. When writing your resolution, you should consider that ICTs need to be adapted to local needs, and therefore cooperation with the local authorities or NGOs is necessary to realize these aims. You should also think about how the poor can obtain access to ICTs, for example where to establish them.

Websites:
http://www.oecd.org
http://www.unicttaskforce.org

Eliminating Gender Disparity in Primary and Secondary Education:

Things to consider:

• The combination of being female and living in poor households leads to an educational disadvantage. Urban/rural inequities compound the situation.
• Girls are the first ones to get pulled back out of school when circumstances dictate, for example, to help with agricultural duties, household duties at home, to care for younger siblings (especially in severely AIDS affected African countries) or older relatives.
• The disparity in the quality of education
• Cultural attitudes such as early marriage, that pregnancy and child bearing are the “ultimate fulfilment of womanhood, particularly when accompanied by marriage” is contributing to the gender stereotypes.
• Girls are also often taught to be subservient to their husbands and to willingly accept their subordinate status.
• In South Asia, it appears that girls are encouraged to attend school but they are not necessarily encouraged to complete their education. Often they are pulled out at a certain point, as the perception is that a highly educated woman may not be suitable for marriage.
• Once they are married, women tend to drop out of the workforce.
• Educating girls is a powerful lever for their empowerment, as well as for reducing poverty. Girls who are educated are likely to marry later and to have smaller, healthier families. Education helps girls to know their rights and claim them, for themselves and their families. Education can translate into economic opportunities for women and their families.

Websites:
http://www.ungei.org
http://www.unicef.org

Poverty Eradication through greater access to services for family planning:

Websites:
http://www.rho.org
http://www.who.int

Engaging Youth in Promoting and Implementing the MDGs

The involvement of the youth can be achieved by increasing awareness (i.e. Model United Nations, NGOs, education) and by socially integrating them into their society. As tomorrow’s leaders, the Youth has to be able to continue the work of present day leaders. Youth participation leads to better decisions, and is therefore an integral part of democratic society. The UN provides a platform for the youth so they can formulate their visions.

http://www.un.org/youth
http://www.unmilleniumproject.org

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