Background Information
The Millennium Development Goals were created at the United Nations Summit of 2000 in New York where leaders from 189 countries pledged to achieve the eight outlined goals targeted for 2015. Within the West Africa sub-region, government, non-governmental and intergovernmental agencies have made several commitments in the form of establishment of agencies, introduction of programs and projects, among others. The overall expectation of these efforts is the translation of these global aspirations into concrete activities in local communities which should lead to sustainable community development in West Africa. Despite the enormous challenges being faced by the region, there is the need to make a stronger and renewed commitment to the realization of the Millennium Development Goals.

The Millennium Development Goals are:
·         Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
·         Achieve Universal Primary Education
·         Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
·         Reduce Child Mortality
·         Improve Maternal Health
·         Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases
·         Ensure Environmental Sustainability
·         Promote Global Partnership for Development

 The United Nations reports have insisted that many countries and communities in Africa may not achieve these goals by 2015 unless some extra-ordinary measures are taken urgently to inspire local actions and commitments by the people under a conducive environment by the government. This makes the initiative for the 2011 Millennium Development Ambassadors summit on Building a Culture of Peace and the Millennium Development Goals in Accra, Ghana critical and most timely.

The summit will:

• Empower critical stakeholders with the needed skills for developing and implementing MDGs focused programs and projects as well as building a culture of peace
• Connect stakeholders in all West Africa to relevant information on peace building and MDGs, to each other for best practices sharing and to resources that will be helpful for sustainable programs and projects related to the MDGs and regional peace
• Celebrate outstanding leaders committed to the realization of the MDGs in local areas throughout West Africa and create a network of Millennium Development Ambassadors whose work will lead to the establishment of West Africa MDGs Councils/Committees/Clubs at various levels

In addition, this summit will demonstrate its commitment to the Millennium Development Goals and emphasize the need for continuity in ongoing efforts, which will form the basis of commissioning some VIPs as Millennium Development Ambassadors to lead local actions in the communities of West Africa.

Summit Theme

“MDGs 2011 – 2015: An Exposition of Sustainable Strategies for Building a Culture of Peace and Implementing the United Nations Global Millennium Development Goals in Local Communities in West Africa”

The summit shall provide an interactive opportunity for the stakeholders from diverse background to discuss the United Nations MDGs as well as issues related to building a culture of peace in order to inspire further commitment to ongoing discussions and efforts toward the realization of the MDGs by 2015 in West Africa. The summit will provide an opportunity for the presentation of scholarly papers on the Millennium Development Goals and the utilization of the goals as the framework for the much desired West Africa Local Communities Development Goals (2011 – 2015), which will be replicated at the levels of communities in each of the countries of West Africa. The summit will provide an avenue for the presentation of the International Mandate for Development 2011 - 2015 to Heads of Governments and to honor other stakeholders as Millennium Development Ambassadors for their contributions and commitment to the realization of the MDGs in West Africa.

Expected Participants
Participants shall be drawn from Millennium Development Ambassadors, other nongovernmental ambassadors, critical stakeholders, intergovernmental agencies and development partners, selected heads of educational institutions, community educators and leaders, NGOs leaders in the various countries in West Africa, traditional rulers, and leaders of faith based organizations as well as representatives of youth led organizations.

Call for Papers
Registered participants are welcome to submit abstracts for the presentation of papers at the First West African Millennium Development Ambassadors Summit.

This summit will provide an opportunity for scholars and relevant stakeholders to present papers based on the theme of the summit.  Abstracts must be submitted by July 15, 2011.  Abstracts will be reviewed by a panel of reviewers and selected based on relevance to the theme, qualifications of the presenter and the potential to stimulate discussion.

At the summit, speakers will be limited to 20 minutes for their presentations which will include a question and answer session. Participants should prepare a 5-page paper, single spaced and succinctly summarize their key points during the presentation. Submitting an abstract implies a commitment to present the paper in English if the abstract is accepted. The Abstracts Subcommittee will attempt to accommodate as many presentations as possible, given time and space constraints.

Abstract Guidelines

• The abstract must be in English
• Abstracts must be in prose, other formats will not be accepted
• The maximum length of the abstract is 500 words
• A title for the presentation must be included at the top of the abstract.
• Please include the name of the presenter, his/her affiliation and his/her position should be listed.

Submission Guidelines

• The deadline for receipt of abstracts is July 13, 2011
• Only registered participants, whose registration fees have been paid, may submit abstracts
• The presenter will be notified of acceptance or rejection within one month of the abstract being properly submitted
• Abstracts can be submitted via email at ghanasummit2011 @gmail.com
• The email address  and phone number(s) of the presenter must be included  with all submissions

Summit Sessions:

Session 1: Opening session and award presentation
This session will feature opening remarks, goodwill messages from stakeholders, keynote  address from UNDP Ghana, MDGs office in Nigeria among others. Also, some distinguished citizens from the sub-region shall be commissioned as Millennium Development Ambassadors.

Session 2: Eradicating Poverty Session:

This session will focus on poverty eradication and the guidelines needed to develop a sustainable platform for the strengthening of relevant institutions in West Africa.

Session 2: Gender Issues and Education Session:

This session will focus on gender equality issues as well as address topics relevant to education in general.             
             
Session 3: Health Session:

This session will address the health related themes of the MDGs such as the Reduction of Child Mortality, Improvement of Maternal Health and Combating HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Disease.

Session 4: Environmental Sustainability and the Promotion of Global   Partnership for Development:

This session will focus on issues concerning environmental awareness and strategies for developing and implementing global partnerships.

Session 5: Building a Culture of Peace in West Africa
This session will focus on issues of peace building programs and initiatives in West Africa and the introduction of peace education in schools, peace councils in communities and an exploration of the Ambassadors for Peace principles for peace.

Resource Persons 

A team of resource persons from USA, Canada, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana and Nigeria as well as selected scholars and officers from the MDGs office in Nigeria, UNDP, etc shall facilitate the sessions. Notable Millennium Development Ambassadors shall also share their experiences and challenges during the seminar/workshops. Participants shall be issued with a “Certificate of Participation”. The opening session shall feature presentation of special awards.

Summit Participation Fees for Millennium Development Ambassadors
Participants are expected to register to attend with the sum of US $300 (N45,000 only for Nigerians and GH¢ 300 for Ghanaians) which covers summit bags/souvenirs, tea break/lunch, certificate of participation, summit papers, participants stickers, pick up from the airport and back to airport on departure date, travel insurance, and local transportation.

Summit Date and Time

Millennium Development Ambassadors Summit:

• Date: July 28 - 29, 2011
• Venue: University of Ghana Conference Center, Accra, Ghana
• Time: 10.00 a.m. daily

  Peace Education Capacity Building Workshop:

• Date: July 30 - 31, 2011
• Venue: University of Ghana Conference Center, Accra, Ghana
• Time: 10.00 a.m. daily

Summit Organizers

Global Educators for All Initiative, Africa Centre for Peace Building, Accra, Ghana, Millennium Development Ambassadors,   Voice of Teachers, Teachers Without Borders – Nigeria, The Love Foundation, Liberia, ISSL Sierra Leone, ChurchAid Liberia

Sponsorship
 
For information regarding sponsorship, please contact us at ghanasummit2011@gmail.com or senyo@afcopb.org