Eight Exemplary Women - From the blog of Mr. Andris Piebalgs, Commissioner for Development, European Commission

Eight exemplary women

24/03/2010

Yesterday I was sincerely impressed by the W8, a group of brave women brought together by Oxfam and MEP Michael Cashman from Central America, Africa, Europe and South East Asia, who testified at the European Parliament on their fight against poverty. Their stories help us to remember why it is so important to comply with Millennium Development Goals.

They told us about human daily lives, about the need for better education and health, but also about hope and will for self-improvement. We heard for instance the strong story of Elba Rivera Urbina from Nicaragua, who was illiterate when she was 18, and eventually succeeded to become a teacher and an activist for human development.

They focused on education, which is a paramount issue when trying to improve living conditions in developing countries. Professor Leonor Magtolis Briones, from the Philippines, specifically pointed out that “educating women is a priority because it is a way to educate a family, a village, a nation and to address health issues. “It was also important to Kadiatou Baby Maiga, from Mali, who was right to underline that “in my year at high school only two of the 80 pupils were girls. This made me realize that education was not as normal to other girls as it was to me.”

Education and health sectors are a priority for the EU development policy. We help the poorest countries by budget support and specific projects. But this is not enough: more resources are to be put on the table, as we all committed to. This is all the more important since “Maternal health” and “children mortality” are the MDGs where we are the most off-track. We therefore have to bridge the gap between current official development aid figures and our 0.7% commitment. The gap is substantial, but I am confident that by 2015 the European Union and the Member States will show that they stand up to global solidarity.

With only five years remaining to reach the Millennium Development Goals, progress is uneven and there is no time to waste. The question is not “if” Europe is going to do, but “how”. On April 21st, I will propose a concrete European Action plan in support of the MDGs, as a contribution to the High Level Event in New York in September. This ‘Spring Development Package’ will provide a credible pathway to delivering Europe’s aid commitment in 2015 and implementing it in a more efficient way.

I have already said it, and I will consistently repeat it: Millennium Development Goals are too big to fail. Faced with such stories, we realize quite bluntly that our credibility is at stake.

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Opening Windows

Opening windows

Opinion

Written by Liling Magtolis Briones / Boiled Green Bananas

BUSINESS MIRROR, Monday, 22 March 2010 21:01

‘Good morning, girls! I am from the Philippines, a country with 7,100 islands and 91 million people. I, too, have a long name, like many of you. My first name is Leonor, which is the Spanish version of the English name Eleanor. The Philippines was a colony of Spain for more than 400 years. My second name is Magtolis, which is the original name of my family long before the Spaniards came. My last name is Briones, another Spanish name. I am a Filipino.” The above words started a memorable morning which I shared with 250 young girls in the Mulberry School for Girls in London. I was there as one of eight Oxfam ambassadors to the G8 group of countries. My task was to campaign for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and convince them to write to the United Nations. The girls were all dressed up in identical pink Muslim wear, complete with head covering. I said to myself, how beautiful they will look in a picture, with their shy and solemn faces! I talked about how fortunate they are because they live in a country where most of the health services are free. I reminded them that millions of other young girls from many other countries are not so fortunate. Many of these deprived girls come from the home country of their parents. I also told them that not all girls their age are able to go to school because of poverty. In many countries, there are not enough schools, teachers and textbooks. I stressed that there are more girls who are out of school than those who are in school. They are fortunate to have parents who allowed them to go to school and prepare for their future through education. Education opens the doors and windows of the mind. It makes available opportunities for further training and for holding meaningful and useful jobs. I also told them stories, for who is the child who does not love stories? They were obviously moved by these stories which described the difficult lives of young people just as old as they are. The girls then wrote notes addressed to the United Nations, asking the latter to make sure that all children are free from disease and are able to go to school. After the assembly, I had a question-and-answer session with the student leaders of the school. To my surprise, they asked a lot of intelligent questions. How does one give information about health issues without offending religious and cultural values? Who determines how aid will be utilized? Should donor-countries share the responsibility for failed projects? How can they be part of the MDGs campaign? How can children in advanced countries help in projects which are implemented in a developing country? My answer: Children don’t have to wait till their hair is gray before joining the campaign. They can do many things: establish contact with other children of developing countries; contribute to the work of Oxfam; initiate projects which can be supported by donor-communities, and many more. As we talked, I could literally see windows opening in their minds. Their eyes were opening wider even as their glances shifted direction. Their facial expressions were changing. They were obviously thinking. As I looked at their faces and into their eyes I knew we were connecting and communicating. After the session, many of the young girls approached me and thanked me. Two of them solemnly promised that they will take up medicine to help their fellow young people in the poor countries. I had come to “teach” them about the MDGs and the need to support health and education for poor countries. Actually, they gave me a wonderful gift—the opportunity to see windows opening in their minds. Prof. Leonor Magtolis Briones is one of eight Oxfam ambassadors to the G8 countries, a professor at the National College of Public Administration, University of the Philippines, Co-Convenor of Social Watch Philippines and a nominee of Kaakbay Party-List.