- Abuja-the way to ICPD, MDGs
Behailu Shiferaw, Editor-in-chief, Lambadina Institute
“We pledge to set a target of allocating at least 15 percent of our annual budget to the improvement of the health sector.” 27 April 2001, Abuja, Nigeria.
It was a statement taken from the commitment African leaders made over eight years ago; just one of the many commitments leaders have agreed to over the years.
Having travelled around and seen how people live in the less developed world, Mrs, Melinda Gates once noted:
“… I am especially moved by the mothers I meet. They invite me into their homes, and we sit on the floor, often on opposite sides of a small mat, talking. I have young children myself, and I try to put myself in their position. What would I do if I were on the other side of the mat? What would I want for my children?… on my side of the mat, when my kids are sick, they get antibiotics. On the other side of the mat, when their children get sick, they may be receiving a death sentence. Those of us in wealthy countries must try to put ourselves on the other side of the mat…we must remember that these mothers love their children just as much as we do.”
The priority for women ‘on the other side of the mat’ was health; their health and the health of their children; the health of their children who will one day become legislators of African governments or even leaders. Mrs. Gates changed roles with women on the other side of the mat; something even African parliamentarians, who lived African lives with similar African mothers, did not dare do.
Explaining why the Abuja Declaration of 2001 was not fulfilled in his country, the State Minister of Finance and Planning of Uganda, Mr. Jachan Omachi, listed energy adn railway networking among other priorities his country needed to address.
It is true that no nation affords to focus solely on one issue and not another. But once it is agreed that people should come first, it is equally plain that health is should come first. The most redundant statement on the ministerial meeting was: “population isn’t about figures but about people”.
Legislators can use their role of appropriating budgets to improve reproductive health. But that takes commitment. That takes the discomfort of sitting on the other side of the mat for a while. It is good to recognize, however, that countries like Botswana and Seychelles have achieved 15 percent and 14 percent, respectively.
Likewise, it is equally important to remind other countries who are not doing so well. At a time when Mauritius, Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia, Seychelles, and Botswana with 8 -15 percent of their annual budget allocated to health, work towards more investment on the sector, there are countries like Guinea Bissau and Sudan which, according to UNICEF’s The State of the World Children 2008, have invested less than two percent of their annual budget on health.
Parliamentarians are important stakeholders who can facilitate better budget allocation for health and hence ensure well-being of their voters.
So parliamentarians of Africa, it is never too late. As Ms. Mari Simonen, UN Assistant Secretary General, Deputy Executive Director of the UNFPA, underlined, “We should not be discouraged by the fact that we are so far from the goals. Even making small steps is better than making no steps at all.”
But sooner is better than later. So act now. Live up to the previous commitments; invest on health, achieve ICPD and MDGs. Only that will make the commitments of ICPD/15 a credible one.
