Excellent discussion guys. I think we can all se that the MDGs can have certain fantastic benefits. They, at the very least, provide specificity to the concept of progressive realization of rights under the ICESCR. As you know, under the ICESCR, States must realize the rights in a progressive manner. Many States use this idea to wriggle out of their commitments to ensure ICESCR rights. MDGs can help focus the attention to those specific goals within particular timeframes. While we all agree with these benefits of the MDGs, we also realize that this can be successful only if:
1. MDGs inclucate the RtD understanding of development. For that matter, even the Sen idea of Development, which is incorporated now under both the WB and IMF policies in some ways. That is, elements such as extreme poverty meaning more than income, focusing on process aspects also and not only outcome aspects etc.
2. MDGs are at least compatible with human rights. eg. the right to education.
3. Developed countries also have quantifiable golas and benchmarks to achieve them.
As some of you discussed, one of the biggest challenges is with respect to point number 3 above. I think the starting point really is to get everyone on board and have a common understanding among all actors on what the nature of the MDGs is. It was never meant to be, and will probably never be, a legally binding document. These goals are political, and even moral, goals. If that is correct, then there is no reason why quantifiable goals and benchmarks can't be added for developed countries. No one is going to sue them before an international court for non-fulfllment of their part of the goals, in the same way that no developing country is going to be sued either. Modifying Goal 8, to my mind, should really be the first step. That way, we have morally appropriate goals to hold on to in order to channel the polcies in the proper manner.
I think the biggest challenge for the post-2015 MDGs will be exactly this. The new committee, apart from ensuring that human rights are mainstreamed in the new MDGs, must change Goal 8. And they don't need a radically new framework for doing that. One of the principal aims of the Millennium Declaration was to make the right to development a reality for everyone. All that the new committee needs to do is to adopt a RtD approach to MDGs. The indicators, criteria and sub-criteria are already developed for RtD, as we saw in session two. At the minimum, that would be a good start.