Can the MDGs Provide a Pathway to Social Justice?
The Challenge of Intersecting Inequalities
Naila Kabeer^10
he fundamental values of the MDGs
A decade ago, 189 of the world’s leaders came together to
sign the Millennium Declaration and to commit themselveson our behalf to co-ordinated action on one of the more pressing
and durable problems that the world faces: the problem of extreme
poverty. The Declaration was based on a set of fundamental values
which together spelt a firm commitment to social justice as the
guiding spirit of all these efforts. These values included:
Freedom: men and women have the right to live their lives and
raise their children in dignity, free from hunger and free from
fear Equality: the equality of rights and opportunities of men and
women must be assured
Solidarity: those who suffer or who benefit least deserve help
from those who benefit most
Tolerance: human beings must respect one another in all their
diversity of belief, culture and language. Differences within and
between societies should be cherished as a precious asset of
humanity.The Declaration was subsequently translated into eight Millennium
Development Goals in order to provide an agenda for action. These
included halving extreme poverty and hunger by 2015, assuring
adequate health and education for all, promoting gender equality
and strengthening the spirit of international co-operation.
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Naila Kabeer is Professor of Gender and Development at the School of
Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London