Eight years ago, world leaders committed to fulfilling the eight Millennium Development Goals by the year 2015. Activists aren’t about to let those leaders forget their promises, taking to the Web via blogs, social networking sites and online petitions.

What are the Millennium Development Goals? They were 8 objectives agreed upon by the 189 United Nations member states as well as at least 23 international organizations at the Millennium Summit in September 2000. Out of the eight chapters agreed upon at the summit, eight goals were created:

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
8. Develop a global partnership for development

Today on the 25th of September, world leaders meet once again to discuss the progress of the MDG in New York. Recognizing the occasion, advocates have begun actively campaigning online through Facebook groups, websites, and of course, the blogs. U2 frontman and activist Bono is even liveblogging the summit for the Financial Times.

To coincide with today’s meeting, the Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation (EGR) have been promoting today as World MDG Blogging Day. EGR’s Mike Kinman gives this take on what the day is all about:

“On Sept. 25, we’re asking bloggers around the world to post about making poverty history. It can be information about the MDGs, a story of extreme poverty from your own life or travels, a poem, a podcast, a video clip, a piece of art, a prayer, an open letter to your leaders … whatever your way of raising your voice for those in extreme poverty is.”

Yesterday, even the Archbishop of Canterbury got into the act with a video message backing calls for a renewal of the pledges made by the international community at the 2000 Summit. On blip.tv, you can find ActionAid’s own video on the importance of MDG.

Remember the ONE Poverty campaigns on television? The ONE site is, of course, getting in on the action with aforementioned liveblogs from Bono as well as online petitions to local government leaders, as well as to the presidential candidates.

In the current economic climate, the already marginalized face even more hardship. It’s comforting to know that the Internet is becoming a medium for advocates from all over the world  to unite for a common cause: to see the MDG realized by 2015.

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Entry was posted on Thursday, September 25th, 2008 at 10:09 am under Social Media.

Read more entries by Erna Mahyuni.
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