The UN and the Spanish MDG Fund The MDG Fund, which was created by the Government of Spain and the UNDP, has improved the living conditions for almost 9 million people worldwide.

Nearly 9 million people, 74.2% of whom are women, have received the direct support of the MDG Achievement Fund Programmes (MDG Fund or MDG-F). The average participation of women in the eight “thematic windows” is 58.5 %.

These results were presented yesterday at the United Nations in an event attended by Mariano Rajoy, President of the Government of Spain; Helen Clark, UNDP Administrator; María Holguin Cuéllar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia; and Irina Bokova General Director of UNESCO, among others. Representatives from a total of 50 member countries and 20 UN agencies, funds and programmes participated in the event, which also had a healthy turnout of civil society, with representatives from 87 organisations in attendance.

The MDG Fund is a pioneer fund in the history of development. For the first time, a fund is working transversally with a significant number of the system’s agencies – 27 in total – and for the first time, the programmes encompass various interrelated sectors. An example is the water and sanitation programmes, which simultaneously deal with health, nutrition, and women’s equality issues, and the creation of an effective agricultural industry. Through the MDG Fund Programmes, 1.04 million members of indigenous groups and ethnic minorities have received direct support. Some 190,000 young people have acquired new skills through training programmes. 3,000 women have been able to access public positions with decision-making power through programmes that promoted their participation in public life. 630,000 women and girls received access to violence prevention and protection services, as well as the joint programme activities.

Mariano Rajoy, President of the Government of Spain, highlighted in his speech that “the results of the MDG Fund are of great value for setting the post-2015 agenda” and demonstrated the determination of Spain to maintain its commitment to the multilateral development agenda. He reiterated that “we have achieved a lot with the MDGs, but we still have a long way to go. We cannot allow ourselves to be distracted. The people who depend on us cannot allow it,” as, “what is at stake is global well-being.” “We can no longer consider development aid to be an act of charity. It is an investment of solidarity in a common future.”

Helen Clark, UNDP Administrator, thanked Spain for “its innovation,” as “its contribution has been essential for the United Nations.” She recognised that “the MDG Fund has been essential in providing solutions for the countries where we work,” and that, “the knowledge we have gained from these programmes contributes significantly to our work, and has accelerated the progress we have made with the Millennium Development Goals.” “We must continue to work on the MDGs,” she concluded, “and thereby establish a solid foundation for the new SDGs, the post-2015 agenda.”

Institutional video: http://www.mdgfund.org/es/video/cambiando-vidas-el-impacto-del-f-odm