Background of the Study
Since the end of the 20th century, issues such as extreme poverty, equal human rights for all gender and ethnicity, health services improvement, environmental sustainability and equal development have been in the forefront of both regional and international affairs. According to (), several proposals and programs have been presented by various world leaders, however, a workable framework that can be applied to any nation is difficult due to the difference of each nation politically, socially and economically. With the impact of these identified issues to both developing and developed countries, the United Nations had outlined a collective strategy for its member nations to resolve these concerns. In 2000’s Millennium Summit, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had released a report entitled “We the Peoples: The Role of the United Nations in the Twenty-First Century” which outlines the issues identified to be of immediate importance and must be resolved. In its strategy, the UN had outlined eight important goals catering to the top issues affecting each nation at the present time. The eight goals, now known today as the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, outlines specific targets, strategies and dates to ensure that equal development throughout the globe can be attained, especially in heavily impoverished nations.
Some of these heavily impoverished nations are located in the Middle East or in the Arab world, which currently faces several crucial issues that affects its regional stability in all possible fronts. According to Salem (2010) the unstable political, economic and social environment, topped with the region’s scarce resources, makes it crucial to attain the goals set by the UN to improve the Arab world’s current state. Currently, it is visible that while the Gulf States are capable of sustaining their needs and resources for their tiny population, the middle and low-income nations in the region are not aided by the richer states. The region also grows in population, reaching up to 320 million, which makes it hard for any nation in the Middle East to sustain their straining land, water and resources: which are identified as three of the MDGs set by the UN. There is also the problem of unemployment in a majority of these countries, resulting into high rates of poverty and illiteracy for all. Women and children are also poorly treated by their governments due to the governing nature of Middle Eastern countries concentrating on men. Urbanization also removes the resource of many to harvest food and create shelter, adding to the already dangerous impact caused by global warming in the region. Politics also makes it hard for these Middle Eastern countries to improve their policies for the MDGs since the region is currently unstable due to the security and political challenges which has been ravaging the region for decades. While the region receives aid from the international community, many still notice that the lack of good governance and political structure prevents the region from making any commitments such as the MDGs.
Although these problems currently are spreading throughout the Middle East, the governments themselves are already making negotiations to improve the situation in the region and apply the MDGs to foster development. Leading the attainment of the MDG in the Arab World is the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf or the Gulf Cooperation Council, comprised by the Arab states located the Persian Gulf – Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The members of the GCC can be considered some of the best-off countries in the region, which is why others see it as a plausible leader in the region to the attainment of the MDG. Others, however, see the GCC to be ill suited to be of influence in applying the MDG to its members because the influential capacity of the Council to apply its own programs is still unstable and unorganized. There is also the sentiment that like other international organizations, the GCC may just be a recommendatory body and a figurehead that has no bearing without the approval of its member countries. In the application of the MDG to the member countries, what should be the role of the GCC?
Nature of the Problem
The Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations outlines many of the Arab region’s current struggles as the region finds itself at the midst of political, economic and social unrest. As such, following the proposals of the UN to resolve the eight (or nine) issues undermined by the MDG would be a benefit for any nation supporting it. In this case, the attainment of the MDG is crucial for the GCC to improve the Arab image to the world and show its hidden potential for its citizens and partners. However, the question firmly remains on how much influence the GCC can have on its member co
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