ChinAfrica: Various African countries – particularly those in Sub-Saharan Africa – have been described as lagging behind in achieving their MDGs. What's needed to improve progress in this regard?

Asha-Rose Migiro: There is no straight answer to this question. But let me be very clear: the MDGs are not a "one-size-fits-all" set of targets which set the bar unrealistically high for the least developed countries, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. On the contrary, they give the international community a joint framework and an agenda for action, placing human development issues front and center. The MDGs are not just a set of numbers; they make a real difference in real people's lives.

Experience has shown that when governments align their national development strategy to the goals, backed by adequate multinational support, significant progress is attainable. With more recent figures becoming available to assess trends since 2000 – the year in which the Millennium Declaration was adopted – we see clearly that the MDGs have made real inroads. Countries that have both made the MDGs central to their policies and adopted an inclusive growth approach, have witnessed a change in the pace of progress. That is what the MDGs are about.

The UN is supposed to be an international community grounded in mutual support. Given this, how much responsibility should countries take for others' failures? Will MDGs truly promote Africa's integration into the global system?

It is important to remember that in this inter-connected world, failures and successes do not happen in a vacuum. We all share responsibility, in one way or another, for such failures and successes. Therefore, the Global Partnership for Development, as called for in MDG 8, is key to creating a level playing field for developing and developed countries alike. This partnership foresees greater and more effective official development assistance, fairer market access for developing countries, a more effective debt relief and debt sustainability framework, access to more affordable essential medicines and new technologies, especially in the field of ICT (information and communication techonology).

Taken as a whole, the MDGs provide us with a roadmap to a more stable, fair and secure world.

MDG 8, in particular, will only help make this a reality by contributing to the elimination of trade and non-trade barriers. Among the countless successful initiatives and partnerships within the MDG 8, Aid for Trade immediately springs to my mind as one that underpins Africa's integration to the global economy.

What epitomizes "progress" when it comes to MDGs? What initiatives have had most success in Africa so far, in your opinion?

Targeted interventions improve people's lives by providing them with access to essential goods and services. Examples of successful initiatives include providing subsidized agricultural inputs, scaling-up school meal programs, eliminating user fees for education and health care, and providing conditional cash transfers to poor households. While such measures should not substitute for well planned and managed national development strategies, neither should they wait for longer-term structural transformations as such delays can have irreversible adverse consequences for millions of people.

There are many positive success stories emanating from Africa with respect to targeted interventions. Through a national input subsidy program, Malawi achieved a 53 percent food surplus in 2007, from a 43 percent national food deficit in 2005. By eliminating education fees, Kenya was able to quickly get 2 million more pupils into its primary schools. In Tanzania, following the abolition of school fees in 2001, net enrollment rate almost doubled compared to 1999 and reached 98 percent for primary schooling in 2006. In Ethiopia's Amhara Province, the promotion of literacy, life skills, reproductive health education and opportunities for savings for girls has significantly reduced the marriage of girls aged 10 to 14.

Chinese companies have been active in getting infrastructure projects up and running across Africa. What kind of impact has this had on progress toward MDGs?

Infrastructure is a critical ingredient for MDG achievement. Take energy, for example; some 77 percent of people in Sub-Saharan Africa lack access to electricity. As a consequence, children cannot study after sunset; communities do not have the power to store vaccines hygienically; and for cooking, mothers rely on biomass fuels, resulting in loss of productivity, and terrible indoor air pollution, which especially affects children.

Increased investments in energy are therefore critical to achieving the MDGs. Sources of funding need to be diversified in order to complement government resources and to meet the growing financing needs for infrastructure. Indeed, recent years have seen a decrease in private investment in the power sector in developing countries, including in Africa. Governments will need to bring back international investors, not only from developed countries, but also through South-South cooperation with emerging economies such as China.

For as long as these investments are made with a long-term perspective, they will bring with them the know-how, technology and will help build capacity in the recipient countries. There will be positive spill-over effects and synergies to be exploited. I am confident that such investments will help contribute to the achievement of the MDGs in Africa.

China has been successful in achieving various MDGs, especially in the case of poverty reduction. What do you think is behind this? Are China's strategies applicable elsewhere?

China's experience in achieving the MDGs offers a number of important lessons that can be replicated elsewhere. For instance, I think the political commitment by the government to poverty eradication has been key to these achievements. Social spending in China has increased every year over the past three decades, with much of it dedicated to education and social protection. I am particularly pleased to note that the Chinese Government has been trying to address the social needs of the country's vulnerable groups who have not benefited quite as much from the economic reforms. Targeted spending for these groups has increased significantly over the last few years. This is a message to highlight in the upcoming MDG Summit in September.

And while looking at the growth of the Chinese economy, we should not forget that this came on the back of reforms that started some thirty years ago. China, like many countries, has had its share of problems and difficulties along that road. Remember the Chinese expression, "Crossing the river by feeling the stones"? That epitomizes the policy reforms of the last 30 years.

But key to the progress China has made is the availability of resources. China would not have achieved so much without significant investments in its economy and society. That is why, if we are to meet the goals by 2015, it is important for the international community to continue mobilizing resources with which to invest toward the achievement of MDGs.

What further progress would you like to see China make in the next five years? Are there particular MDGs you feel need to be more comprehensively addressed?

One particular goal, which comes to mind, where more is needed if China is to meet the target date of 2015, is that of Goal 7 – on achieving the sanitation target. Only 59 percent of the rural population in China uses improved sanitation facilities; reaching rural populations and the most disadvantaged groups of the population must therefore be a priority, especially in the current challenging economic climate.

Going back to the China-Africa relationship – do you think it provides an opportunity for mutual development?

Absolutely. Africa needs international investment flows to stimulate its economy, to improve its technological capabilities, to join the global supply chains and to benefit from globalization.

China has been a key source of investments in Africa in recent years. These investments will certainly underpin a win-win situation provided that the foreign investors in Africa create jobs, bring technology as well as much-needed investments in infrastructure such as ports, roads, power and telecommunications. We have seen many invest in local communities, by building schools, power plants, hospitals and clinics, and these should clearly be encouraged. Equally important, such investments increase trade. Trade between Africa and China has long surpassed the $50 billion per year marker, thereby increasing long-term prospects for economic cooperation.

Once the 2015 MDG deadline has passed will new goals be adopted? How will the UN address countries unable to reach their targets in the next five years?

The MDGs are the most broadly supported, comprehensive, and specific human development targets the world has ever established. While progress has been slow and even stalled in some places and against certain targets, significant advances have been made over the past decade. These must now be celebrated and replicated, as they provide the evidence base: we need to understand what works and what does not. If we put that evidence to work over the next five years, with the right political drive and the necessary resources, the international community can keep its promise and meet the 2015 deadline.

The MDG review summit at the UN in September must spark five years of accelerated progress. World leaders need to agree on a concrete action agenda to take us through to 2015, because, ultimately, reaching the MDGs offers the means to a better life for all those living in poverty. Meeting them represents a critical opportunity to secure a more just and peaceful world.

Development is indeed a long process and efforts will doubtless have to continue beyond 2015. This is clearly recognized in the United Nations Development Agenda. But, before we consider new targets or think of a revised MDG framework for the period "beyond 2015," we have a lot more work to do in the run-up to 2015.

What do you think the role of African leaders should be in achieving the MDGs?

Achieving the MDGs requires a partnership between developing and developed countries, as well as a strong political commitment from both donor countries – to guarantee sufficient and sustained funding – and also from the governments of developing countries – to make their policies MDG-centered.

It is in the interest of all African leaders to both engage in such a dialogue with national governments, and to also inspire public mobilization actions to support the MDGs.

What can African women do to empower themselves in their own countries?

It is clear that education is a powerful tool. I encourage women and girls in Africa to use all opportunities to access education and training so as to improve their chances to break out of poverty. Parents should invest as much in the education of their daughters as they do in the education of their sons. Education involves sacrifices both for households and for students – but they are sacrifices worth making. It is important to find the right balance between career and motherhood; between the transient short term benefits of keeping girls at home to take care of chores and the enduring long term rewards of education.

It is important for all of us in Africa, and the world over, to rally together to support and ensure the education of every girl child as we also provide opportunities for adult education and training to every woman. That is the spirit of MDG 2 and MDG 3: to ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling; and to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women. We can do no less for African women and girls.