Obama’s Presidential Agenda is the Same as the UN Millennium Development Goals

The Millennium Development Goals Summit Has Arrived — News & Views from Around the Web

September 20, 2010

Global Washington - The UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals kicked off in New York today, and will continue through Wednesday, September 22nd. World leaders are gathering to discuss the progress made and work to be done toward meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). On Wednesday, the event will culminate with an address by President Barack Obama.

If you are looking for background and general information on the MDGs and the Summit, take a look at some of Global Washington’s previous blog entries on the MDGs. Bono also wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times on the importance of the MDGs, which serves as a primer for New Yorkers who are fed up with the Summit-related traffic jams on the upper east side. The UK newspaper The Guardian has a whole page devoted to live MDG Summit updates and news. Finally, the Brookings Institute has a page full of links with research and commentary on the MDGs.

This morning, the Gates Foundation sponsored a TEDxChange event, featuring a live broadcast from New York City coinciding with the Summit kickoff. Speakers at this event included Melinda Gates, Hans Rosling (“the most entertaining statistician in the world” according to Tom Paulson on the Humanosphere), India’s own “Mr. Condom,” (a family planning and AIDS activist), and Graca Michel (Nelson Mandela’s wife). You can view a recording of this highly engaging webcast here.

You can also view the actual Summit live on the UN Webcast, which features 6 different channels — you can watch each world leader’s statement with English translation or in the original language, if you want to practice your French or Croatian. The UN News Center also has rather comprehensive live Summit news.

MFAN puts the spotlight on the prognosis for US foreign aid reform, and tells us what to watch out for at the Summit. If you are interested in US policy, you should also take a look at a new bill introduced by Representative Barbara Lee (CA-9) last week, which is a resolution supporting the ideals and objectives of the UN Millennium Declaration and related MDGs and calling on the President to ensure the United States contributes meaningfully to the achievement of the MDGs by the year 2015.

The Center for Global Development offers a different perspective in What’s Not to Like about the MDGs? – a critical look at the MDGs.

Obama’s Presidential Agenda is the Same as the UN Millennium Development Goals

Veer Right Weblog
Originally Published in 2008

Ending World Poverty is a noble, but lofty goal. How realistic is this really when we think of all the dictators and communist countries that purposely keep their people oppressed. Senator Obama has sponsored Senate bill 2433 which states the following:

“A bill to require the President to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to further the United States foreign policy objective of promoting the reduction of global poverty, the elimination of extreme global poverty, and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal of reducing by one-half the proportion of people worldwide, between 1990 and 2015, who live on less than $1 per day.”

Let’s look at this carefully “A bill to require the President…”. What this is saying is that no matter who is elected President in 2008, they will be required to develop and implement a strategy to meet the Millennium Development Goals. In a way it is taking control away from the electorate. We can elect someone who does not want to commit this much additional money to foreign aid, but he or she will have to because they are required.

What exactly is the UN Millennium Development Goals? For one it will force the US to commit 0.7 GNP to poverty stricken nations that we have no political or economic interests in. The reality is we can throw an estimated $850 billion at this World Poverty issue and still not truly eradicate poverty. Take Viet Nam, do we actually think the communists will distribute any aid they are given?

The bill states that especially land-locked countries and Africa are to receive aid. Why don’t we just redraw the borders so there aren’t any landlocked countries? Sounds crazy doesn’t it, but that would be one solution.

From the Millennium Development Goal:

“We will support the consolidation of democracy in Africa and assist Africans in their struggle for lasting peace, poverty eradication and sustainable development, thereby bringing Africa into the mainstream of the world economy.” (section IV, 27)

“To take special measures to address the challenges of poverty eradication and sustainable development in Africa, including debt cancellation, improved market access, enhanced Official Development Assistance and increased flows of Foreign Direct Investment, as well as transfers of technology.

We recognize the special needs and problems of the landlocked developing countries, and urge both bilateral and multilateral donors to increase financial and technical assistance to this group of countries to meet their special development needs and to help them overcome the impediments of geography by improving their transit transport systems.” ( Section III, 18 )

In addition to stopping poverty we will save the planet:

“We resolve therefore to adopt in all our environmental actions a new ethic of conservation and stewardship and, as first steps, we resolve:

To make every effort to ensure the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol, preferably by the tenth anniversary of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 2002, and to embark on the required reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases.”

The following goal is in direct opposition of the Muslim religion:

“To combat all forms of violence against women and to implement the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.“

How has America done so far with meeting the Millineum Goals? (Implementing the Millineum Declaration):

“Five countries – Belgium, France, Ireland, Spain and the United Kingdom — have newly pledged to improve their ODA to reach the UN target of 0.7 per cent of gross national income (GNI), at which point they would join Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. The US, while at a much lower level in terms of percentage of GNI, nevertheless remains the world’s largest donor and has increased outlays substantially, including under the terms of its new Millennium Challenge Account.”

In summary, we still are the world’s largest donor, but it isn’t enough. Will any amount of money be enough?

Update: Comparing Obama’s Change.gov web site to the UN Millennium Goals:

It is interesting that Barack Obama has not once mentioned his Senate bill 2433 while campaigning. It appears Obama’s presidential agenda is the same as the UN Millennium Development Goals. It's as if his agenda was taken from the UN’s. All of his radical agenda can be wrapped up in this one bill:

• National Civilian Security Force
• Cap and trade which means high taxes on all traditional forms of energy which will severely affect jobs and every American’s standard of living.
• Loss of gun rights under the second Amendment
• Large global subsidies to nations worldwide that the US has no security, military, or economic interest in. Essentially this is welfare for the world equaling 0.7 of our GNP, an estimated $850 billion.
• The creation of a U.N. International Criminal Court having the power to try and convict American citizens and soldiers without any protection from the U.S. Constitution.
• A standing United Nations Army forcing U.S. soldiers to serve under U.N. command.

There are eight goals of the Millennium Development Goals:

1. End Poverty and Hunger
2. Universal Education
3. Gender Equality
4. Child Health
5. Maternal Health
6. Combat HIV/AIDS
7. Environmental Sustainability
8. Global Partnership

Now let’s take a closer look at S. bill 2433, the Global Poverty Act of 2007. [Update: S. bill 2433 is dead; current legislation is H.R. 2639, the Global Poverty Act of 2009]

Section 4 states that the: “Millennium Development Goals include the goal of reducing by one-half the proportion of people worldwide, between 1990 and 2015, that live on less than $1 per day, cutting in half the proportion of people suffering from hunger and unable to access safe drinking water and sanitation, reducing child mortality by two-thirds, ensuring basic education for all children, and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS and malaria, while sustaining the environment upon which human life depends.” Essentially this means that the US will support the millineum goals 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6.

Section 6 states “The 2002 National Security Strategy of the United States notes: `[A] world where some live in comfort and plenty, while half of the human race lives on less than $2 per day, is neither just nor stable. Including all of the world’s poor in an expanding circle of development and opportunity is a moral imperative and one of the top priorities of U.S. international policy.”

Section 9 states: “At the summit of the Group of Eight (G-8) nations in July 2005, leaders from all eight participating countries committed to increase aid to Africa from the current $25,000,000,000 annually to $50,000,000,000 by 2010, and to cancel 100 percent of the debt obligations owed to the World Bank, African Development Bank, and International Monetary Fund by 18 of the world’s poorest nations.”

Section 10 states “At the United Nations World Summit in September 2005, the United States joined more than 180 other governments in reiterating their commitment to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.” This means that the US will provide aid to meet all of the Millineum Development Goals.

From Obama’s change.gov web site:

Fight Global Poverty: Obama and Biden will embrace the Millennium Development Goal of cutting extreme poverty around the world in half by 2015, and they will double our foreign assistance to achieve that goal. This will help the world’s weakest states build healthy and educated communities, reduce poverty, develop markets, and generate wealth.

Bottom line: this bill means that the US will support the UN Millineum Goals 100%. Let’s take a closer look at what this will mean. From the UN Millennium Development Goals 2007:

Disarmament and non-proliferation

78. In 2006, the General Assembly launched a new process for an arms trade treaty, the first formal step towards developing common international standards for the import, export and transfer of conventional weapons. In relation to the implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects, of 2001, I am encouraged that the Group of Governmental Experts on illicit brokering adopted in June 2006 a consensus report with concrete recommendations on promoting the development of national laws and regulations, enhancing information-sharing and cooperation among national authorities, and international cooperation and assistance for capacity-building.

This means that American’s rights to small arms under the second Amendment may be lost. Article II of the US Constitution says “the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

From Obama’s change.gov web site Urban Policy:

Address Gun Violence in Cities: Obama and Biden would repeal the Tiahrt Amendment, which restricts the ability of local law enforcement to access important gun trace information, and give police officers across the nation the tools they need to solve gun crimes and fight the illegal arms trade. Obama and Biden also favor commonsense measures that respect the Second Amendment rights of gun owners, while keeping guns away from children and from criminals. They support closing the gun show loophole and making guns in this country childproof. They also support making the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent.

79. The major challenges ahead relate to the need to strengthen multilateral norms for disarmament and arms regulation. The ultimate strategic goal of the United Nations is “general and complete disarmament under effective international control”. This goal, deriving from the mandates on disarmament and arms regulation set out in the Charter of the United Nations, will require additional efforts to promote universal participation in multilateral treaties, their full and effective implementation, the establishment of new norms, and increased engagement with civil society.

From Obama’s change.gov web site:

Set the Goal of a Nuclear-Free World: Show the world that America believes in its existing commitment under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty to work to ultimately eliminate all nuclear weapons. America will not disarm unilaterally.

Rule of law

81. The rule of law is a fundamental principle on which the United Nations was established. The United Nations goal continues to be a community of nations operating according to rules that promote human rights, human dignity and the settlement of international disputes through peaceful means. International criminal justice, a concept based on the premise that the achievement of justice provides a firmer foundation for lasting peace, has become a defining aspect of the work of the Organization.

Climate change and sustainable development

34. The year 2007 witnessed unprecedented momentum in the struggle to mitigate and adapt to climate change and to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of environmental sustainability. I have made climate change a key priority for the Organization because climate change threatens to create an environmental crisis of global proportions if it remains unchecked. In addition, overcoming climate change will contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 alongside the wider sustainable development goals agreed at the World Summit in 2005.

From Obama’s change.gov web site:

The Obama-Biden comprehensive New Energy for America plan will:

• Help create five million new jobs by strategically investing $150 billion over the next ten years to catalyze private efforts to build a clean energy future.
• Within 10 years save more oil than we currently import from the Middle East and Venezuela combined.
• Put 1 million Plug-In Hybrid cars — cars that can get up to 150 miles per gallon — on the road by 2015, cars that we will work to make sure are built here in America.
• Ensure 10 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.
• Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.