"Millennium Development Goal #8 Create a Global Partnership for Development" -- by John Miers

"And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, 
will draw all people to myself." 
- John 12:32
"An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics," observed Plutarch, the 1st-century Greek historian. This was nearly 2000 years ago. Some attribute this quote to Plato, who also lived in that era.

It is very interesting how it is still true today; it applies to all imbalances – near and far, rich and poor, east and west, and over here and over there. Our planet is truly an “eco-sphere,” where the actions of one group will have ramifications upon many others. These ramifications may be immediate or widespread, or they may not occur for decades or may be tightly focused. Many are not predictable. It is important to look at any and all of our actions in the light of what they may cause – or not cause – elsewhere. This is not normally done; it requires a new way of thinking for most people. This goal realizes this, and calls on us to all work together.

Last month I wrote about the MDG goal #7, which is “Ensure Environmental Sustainability.” That goal is a perfect example of how we need to partner with each other, and how we as Christians need to look beyond our borders, and do what is right – for everyone. We are all inter-connected, in many minor yet powerful ways. With our world changing quickly, this inter-connected-ness can do nothing except tighten up. We are indeed going to be all together in the future.

I was struck by the book entitled “Six Degrees of Separation,” in which it is theorized that any person on the Earth can be linked to any other person through no more than six others. Each person has many acquaintances, and each of them knows many others, etc. There was also a video on TV (and downloadable) where multiple randomly selected people around the world were asked to get a package to a doctor in Boston. It shows how this occurs from the South Pacific, from Africa, from South America, from Europe. Sure enough, most make it to Boston on no more than six exchanges. It is explained that we all have multiple circles of acquaintances, and our acquaintances all have circles of their own. The way to really move a message – or a concern – is to move from one of these circles completely to another. This science is now known as “networking.”

It is powerful to get the same message from different directions, and it lends credence to the opinion. It also gets distributed much more broadly, and faster. All of these desirable qualities are enhanced by this networking. Today’s blog is about MDG #8, which is to “Create a Global Partnership for Development.” Having these Global Partnerships are doubly important: first, these partnerships ensure that multiple viewpoints and needs are considered when decisions are made. Some of them may not be immediately obvious, but they are none-the-less important. Secondly, the partnership will also ensure that the decision will be carried wherever it is needed and necessary. This networking will not only gather the information about the various needs, but it will get the answers to where they are most needed.

Having this done through a partnership and not just some hierarchical system will also help ensure that the right decisions are made and properly implemented. This is truly and example of where more is better: The more eyes that have considered a problem or goal, particularly ones as important as the MDGs, the higher will be the probability that the goal will be met or that the problem will be solved. The more partnerships and people who are involved will ensure that the maximum number of issues will be considered, from the maximum number of perspectives.

Creating this “Global Partnership for Development” goal was a very wise decision. While the other issue-specific goals are important, the fact that this process-specific goal is the final one implies that the others all need to be implemented, and it was clearly believed that a global partnership was the way to do it the most effectively.

This is the way that we reach out to one another, working together in sharing what has been given to each of us. Networking will allow many voices to be focused on these issues. Working together will allow us all to work on these problems. It also says in the book of Matthew that “What you have done unto the least of them, you have done to me.” We can solve these problems.

John Miers is from Bethesda, Maryland, where he was employed at the National Institutes of Health from 1968 to 2005. He serves on the board of St. Luke’s House, a halfway house for persons recovering from mental illness and also serves as Jubilee Officer for the Diocese of Washington. He was a member of National Commission on Science, Technology and Faith for the Episcopal Church and is active in his local church, where he is in the choir, worship committee, pastoral care committee, and the prayer team, and he also visits patients in a local hospital on behalf of the Chaplain.