In recognition of uneven global progress toward achieving the MDGs, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) Division for Policy Development and Analysis (DPAD) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) are collaborating to support national governments in evaluating their progress.
30 November 2012: The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) Division for Policy Development and Analysis (DPAD) is training government officials and others to identify and assess achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
The training is part of a larger collaboration between DPAD and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) to assist and train national governments to evaluate development strategies and design policy alternatives to facilitate achievement of the MDGs, in recognition of uneven global progress in achieving the Goals.
In Kyrgyzstan, DPAD has trained government officials and representatives from research organizations to use the Maquette for MDGs Simulation (MAMS) and an integrated modeling framework to evaluate the country’s progress towards the MDGs. The training aimed to strengthen policymakers’ capacity to identify and mitigate external factors that may hinder achievement of the MDGs, such as high energy and food prices, declines in remittances and economic crises. The tools allow users to analyze micro- and macro-level influences on the economy, and to identify and analyze social indicators, policies and strategies.
Zina Batyrbekova, Ministry of Economy and Anti-trust Policy, Kyrgyzstan, welcomed the model, noting that “it provides an opportunity to assess what is needed to achieve the set goals, to see if we know how much it will cost us and if we are able to achieve the goals in the set or desired timeframe.”
DPAD is expected to complete the Kyrgyzstan training in March 2013. [DESA Press Release]