Realizing the Millennium Development Goals through socially inclusive macroeconomic policies

Project Summary Project code: 06/07U Executing entities: DESA Funding:  US$ 600,000 Duration: 2006-2009 Theme: Statistics Status: Active Region: Global   Implementation Rate:       3.0%     Updated:       07/06/07

Background:

The outcomes of global United Nations conferences and summits, especially the Millennium Declaration, the Monterrey Consensus and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, have raised the expectations of citizens of Member States regarding inclusive economic and social policies. In view of the mixed social-development outcomes of economic globalization and liberalization, the importance of having a unified economic and social policy framework that addresses economic weaknesses and social problems simultaneously has been increasingly recognized. This has been confirmed by recent research on the relationship between economic growth, poverty reduction and social indicators, which highlighted the important interaction between economic and social policies.

The project will assist national policymakers and policy shapers to develop the knowledge and skills to integrate macroeconomic and social goals in policy formulation and better utilize available national policy space to pursue development goals in the face of external shocks. The project will also help Governments to build capacity for realizing the Millennium Development Goals through socially inclusive and egalitarian macroeconomic policies, relying on the identification of appropriate macroeconomic models and frameworks, which will account for the social impacts of policies as well as for structural changes and interactions with the rest of the world.

The project will be implemented by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, in collaboration with ESCAP, ECLAC and ECA. 

Objectives:

To strengthen the capacity of policymakers to formulate and evaluate economic and social development policies, including those emanating from the Millennium Development Goals, and to design a framework and instruments for macroeconomic modelling approaches with positive social impacts.

Expected accomplishment:

(a)   Development of socially inclusive macroeconomic policy frameworks in support of achieving the Millennium Development Goals, supplemented, where possible, by macroeconomic models

(b)   Better incorporation of regional linkages into macroeconomic policies

(c) Increased awareness of effective policymaking space available for use in the current international economic environment

Implementation status:

This project is at a very early stage. The formation of country teams, through establishing partnerships of national consultants, UNDP country offices and government experts, is ongoing. It began effectively in May 2006 with a group of countries from the Middle East and North Africa. A brainstorming/inception workshop was organized on 3-4 May, 2006, in Cairo, in close collaboration with the Regional Bureau of Arab States of UNDP (UNDP/RBAS), the World Bank, and the League of Arab States (LAS). Representatives of eight countries were invited to the workshop, namely: Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Sudan, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. This project’s participating countries also cover other regions of the world.  The second group of countries that has been given priority is in the Latin American region comprises Bolivia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala and Nicaragua. During September-December, 2006, local institutions (particularly governmental and UNDP country offices) and research experts were identified and invited to form country teams to participate in the project.