Post 2015 Local Consultations Hearings in Ghana

1.      Introduction

At the United Nations General Assembly in September 2000 in New York, 189 world leaders gathered to adopt what has now become the millennium declaration. The declaration which was among other things to spare no effort to free fellow men, women and children from the abject and dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty, to which more than a billion of them are currently subjected to. They also committed themselves to making the right to development a reality for everyone and to freeing the entire human race from want. The declaration which was endorsed by the various heads-of-states was then translated into a roadmap setting out goals and targets to be reached by 2015

It’s already 2012 and the 2015 deadline for the achievements of the 8-bound Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is fast approaching. Most countries, including Ghana have made some appreciable progress on some of the goals while others are unlikely to be achieved.

In an effort to achieve the MDGs, government developed the Medium Term Development Framework I and II to provide the blue print for accelerating economic growth and meeting the MDGs. This framework was subsequently backed with the quest for good governance, sustainable peace, accountability and transparency to fast-track progress on the MDGs. Policies such as the Free Maternal Health Care, Capitation Grant, 

National Youth Employment Programme and School Feeding Programme were also initiated to scale up efforts at achieving the goals. These efforts by government have contributed largely to Ghana’s appreciable progress on goals 1, 2 and 6. 

Despite these strides, it’s obvious that Ghana cannot achieve most of the goals before the 2015 deadline, hence the need to develop a post 2015 framework that is participatory, holistic and reflects the needs and aspirations of citizens, especially the physically challenged, children, youth, women and the poor.

2.      Goal

To facilitate the development of an All Inclusive Post 2015 Agenda by citizens, especially those at the local level for Ghana to reflect the needs and aspirations of citizens to drive socio-economic development across the country.

3.      Specific Objectives

a)      To create a platform for the poor and vulnerable in the local communities to determine the post 2015 Agenda

b)      To develop a post 2015 documentary that reflects citizens’ needs and aspirations.

c)      To engage key stakeholders [UNDP, government and civil society] for further discussions to aid the development of a Ghana Post 2015 Agenda.

4.      Activities

10 Consultations will be held in local communities across the country and a field study (case studies and audio-visual documentation (photos, video recordings)) will be undertaken. There will be 3 in the Central Region, 3 in the Greater Accra Region, 2 in Ashanti Region and 2 in the Upper East Region. In addition to that, there will be a documentary of citizen’s views of what the post 2015 Agenda should be. Other relevant institutions such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) and some selected Civil Society Organisations will also be spoken to in developing the documentary. However, the concentration will be on the poor and vulnerable in society.