In the course of the Annual Conference of the German Council for Sustainable Development (Nachhaltigkeitsrat) in Berlin on September 6th, also a Panel Discussion titled „Africa and the Millennium Development Goals“ took place, in English language and renowned speakers from Germany and South Africa. About 60 representatives of NGOs, among them also some young activists, attended the event.

The first speaker was Prof. Alan Whiteside from the University KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, giving some facts about the Aids/HIV disease. He is both optimistic and pessimistic: Optimistic when looking at the amazing changes in many countries. Pessimistic when being confronted with the high corruption widely spread in Africa, the inability of the developed world to make trade just, and the continued spread of HIV/Aids. Therefore, most countries will not have even the chance to meet the MDGs.
Prof. Whiteside mentioned three reasons why we should be concernced regarding the HIV/Aids problem:
1. It is unique: A specific group is affected, namely the women in the 20ies and the men in the 30ies, generally more women than men. The disease is incurable, the treatment is very complex and there are strong links to development. In Botswana, we see a 85% probability for a 15 years old girl to be infected.
2. The impact on development is strong: Usually, the breadwinners are affected. When the breadwinner dies, in Africa the whole familiy is lost.In Zimbabwe, the life expectency lies at 33 years. Without healthy young people with high productivity, no economy can be developed.
3. It is a long-term problem going to last beyond 2015. Deaths will even rise.
Prof. Whiteside tells that he is telling these facts for ten years – but obviously nobody’s listening. What to do: Bring women up and make development fair. „It is a battle and this battle is going to take a long time.“

Eveline Herfkens, UN SG’s Executive Coordinator to the MDG Campaign, agreed with Prof. Whiteside’s view that much too less happend in the past years. „Unless nobody stands up with the whiteband – which is the global symbol to show solidarity with the MDGs –, several times and times again, politicians won’t act.“ There are still many huge problems hindering the MDGs to be implemented. In Sambia, for instance, teachers are dying faster than government is able to recruite new ones.
Then Mrs Herfkens overhanded a whiteband to her fellow speaker Mr Klaus Töpfer because the whiteband was lacking when he had his speech this morning in the Conference’s Plenary.
The MDGs are still achievable. Many countries, even many of the poorest, are on the track. It is up to the governments to achieve them. UN can’t send police to governments not fulfilling their promises – the citizen have to call for that. „Don’t be like world leaders! Don’t take your plane home to business as usual!“
Mrs Herfkens critizied the Press Release of the Council for Sustainable Development which demands more efforts for MDGs but doesn’t even mention e.g. the 0.7%-target ODA although Germany is in the lowest third of ODA budget in the European Union. The way to deliver this aid has to be changed as well: Stop spreading too many bucks on large buildings or own advisors. Trade patterns also have to be changed: We Europeans get an agricultural surplus and dump it on less developed countries – ignoring that their populations depend from agriculture. This mustn’t last longer.
Another political recommendation: Women have to empowered to say NO to sex and to say NO to not-safer sex. Without empowerment of women, development can’t be created.

Dr. Natalie Mayet informed about the HIV/Aids programme fo BMW South Africa. „Everybody says: Use the condom! But: How does someone negotiate to use the condom?“ And so BMW asked its employees: You want to have a free Aids test? 83% said Yes. „These are the prevention champions: they know the true facts about HIV/Aids.“ The positive tested employees are not be treated in another way in the job. If you are tested early, you have good chance to stay healthy very long time with right treatment and care. „Aids is a global issue – it is our issue.“

Prof. Dr. Klaus Töpfer, UNEP executive director, reported about the UNEP’s role in the context of MDGs. The seat of UNEP is in Nairobi, and so, UNEP is not an island in an affected society. There are the „three Cs“ we have to take into account when dealing with HIV/Aids:
Confidentiality
Councelling
Care
We also have to bring the abstract issue of HIV/Aids to a more concrete level fort he people in Europe. „If you see young women die in clinics under conditions we can’t imagine, the topic of HIV/Aids will be brought back to the Europeans.“


In the following discussions, I asked the speakers to give some recommendations about what young people can do to promote the MDGs. Mrs Herfkens mentioned some examples what is happening:
- A successfull Rap Contest took place to promote MDGs via rap songs. MTV broadcasts these songs, CDs will be available soon.
- A kind of „pizza action“ can be an idea: Deliver pizzas to every MP in your parliament – but cut out 0.7% of the pizza and claim for this small share of budget for ODA.
- Promote MDGs at events when people are open-minded for this issue, e.g. at Christian Markets.
- Invite MPs to talk: Then they have to inform themselves about what the MDGs actually are, they start to make promises, and then they eventually have to keep them.
- World Youth Day took place with the MDGs as central slogan, and 50.000 people at the Opening Church Service where intercessions for each of the MDGs were lectured.
- A successfull Theatre Workshop with young people took place to promote MDGs. These theatres will be brought to schools, with the German Federal President’s wife, Mrs Köhler, as patron. The Theatre will also take place at the next Annual Summer Festival of the Federal President.
- Write letters to the Chancellor, the MPs etc. (draft letter will be available soon: www.millenniumcampaign.de)
- Be noisy!
- Another example from Africa: Project „Ladys first!“ (Namibia)
- Another example from Africa: „Real men drink Heineken. Real men use Condoms.“