The Big Picture

After the Millennium Development Goals, What's Next?

Anna Butler is a Global Programs & Field Engagement intern and Jessica O'Herron is the New York City Global Citizenship Fellow at the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

The deadline for the Millennium Development Goals is approaching, and people all over the world are discussing what will come next. 

Two platforms called The World We Want and My World have been created in order to ensure that ordinary people's voices—especially those of children and young people—are taken into account when world leaders create the post-2015 development agenda.

On Nov. 19, Jessica and I attended The World We Want: People’s Voices Series event titled “Children and the Post-2015 Agenda” at UNICEF House in New York City. We were particularly inspired by two girls from Albania, Erida and Flutura, who spoke about their community and how they and their peers would like to see it changed. They then shared a video with us about what children their age in Uruguay want for the world’s future – it came as no surprise to us that their desires weren’t all that different.

These wants included “a world without violence” and one “where everyone is equal.” Erida and Flutura described the things that children everywhere want to see in their communities: better education, increased job opportunities, non-discrimination, better child protection, better health care and general equality. They also provided recommendations on how these issues could be addressed, highlighting the importance of youth ideas and contributions.

Globally we have made great strides towards reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). But as Louise Zimanyi, Director of the Consultative Group on Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) said, “We [now] know much more than when the MDGs were developed.” And as much progress as we’ve made, “there’s still a lot of work to be done.” As discussions continued, the panel raised several interesting points, most of which emphasized the need for children’s involvement in the development of the post-2015 agenda. The entire room, it seemed, was in agreement that investments in our world’s children are essential to our future success.

Andrew Johnson, Deputy Secretary General of ChildFund Alliance, summed it up perfectly when he said, “What children are asking for is very clear.” We agree—it’s time for us to listen.

Want your voice heard? Take the My World survey and tell us what’s most important to you!