SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT GOALS

At the Millennium Summit organised by the United Nations in September 2000, 192 countries committed to working towards a world in which sustainable development and eliminating poverty would have the highest priority. Eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were adopted by a consensus to measure progress in areas related to people’s wellbeing.

NACDAOR considers Millennium Development Goals critically important. Historically socially excluded Dalits, Adivasis and other marginalised, forming about 40% of India’s total population, and hence achieving MDGs by these is a pre-condition to achieving MDGs by India.

NACDAOR has been playing a critical role in mainstreaming MDGs among the Dalits and the other marginalised communities. While providing leadership to India’s MDG Campaign, NACDOR joined the Global Call to Action against Poverty independently and its Chairman provides leadership on Social Exclusion globally.

With the recommendations of United Nations Millennium Campaign, Secretary General of the United Nations Mr. Ban Ki-moon invited Mr. Ashok Bharti, Chairman of National Confederation of Dalit Organisations (NACDOR) to address the High-Level Event on MDGs, held on 25 September 2008 at the UN Headquarters in New York. Mr. Bharti represented the civil society of Asia and was one the six distinguished personalities invited from all over the world. Mr. Bharti’s speech on ‘Hunger and Poverty’ with the perspective of socially excluded was well received and appreciated.