Press Release – UNDP

23 November 2012 (Nuku’alofa, Tonga) – With only 3 years to go before the 2015 deadline when countries worldwide aimed to have achieved the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), participants attending the Tonga MDG-Media Training Workshop were reminded …

Collaboration crucial for the achievement of the MDGs

23 November 2012 (Nuku’alofa, Tonga) – With only 3 years to go before the 2015 deadline when countries worldwide aimed to have achieved the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), participants attending the Tonga MDG-Media Training Workshop were reminded that if Tonga was to achieve the MDG targets, there must be increased collaboration between the Government and civil society organizations, youth, churches and the community at large.

Delivering the Opening Remarks at the workshop, Mr Mahe’uli’uli Tupouniua, Chief Executive Officer for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chairman of the MDG Country Taskforce told participants from the Government of Tonga and the media that “information and communications play an integral role in connecting us, binding our commitments, in the outreach in meeting the targets of MDGs and reiterating its compelling importance to people’s livelihoods, such as the national call for participation in combating the impact of non-communicable diseases (NCD) in Tonga.”

“We know that partnership is at the heart of development effectiveness and is closely linked to sustainable development and stability of the Kingdom,” he added.

Mr Paula Ma’u, Chief Executive Officer for the Ministry of Information and Communication in welcoming participants highlighted the importance of a Freedom of Information policy tas this allows for more efficient dissemination of information from the Government. He also emphasized the role that social media has to play in the dissemination of information.

Goal 1, to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger: Goal 3, to promote gender quality and empower women, and Goal 6 Target C which is to halt by 2015 to combat non-communicable diseases are the MDGs being targeted by Tonga as the most off-track..

The Tonga national days for the MDGs and NCDs were launched on 18 November with churches of different religious denominations celebrating services that were followed by the launch of MDGs and NCDs Expo on 20 November by the Acting Prime Minister, Hon. Samiu Kuita Vaipulu at Teufaiva Stadium.

The workshop which is being attended by 30 participants was designed and facilitated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and National Planning together with Ministry of Information and Communication. The workshop is an activity of UNDP’s Tonga MDG Monitoring and Reporting Project 2009-2012.

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