Tel: 27 012 3108619, Fax:27 012 3217381, E-mail: joanl@statssa.gov.
This third progress report on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) was produced with financial assistance from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The report is a joint effort by the Government of South Africa, the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), including business interests of South Africa and the office of the United Nations Resident Representative in South Africa. The preparation of the report was led by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), which is the MDG Secretariat and as such provided overall direction and coordination.
The report benefited from the contributions by United Nations agencies, most specifically UNDP and UNICEF. In particular, the active advocacy and participation by the CSOs who, on their own, found it fitting to organise a CSO Summit on the MDGs and emerged with the Cape Town Declaration on the MDGs. They provided an invaluable and refreshing perspective on the successes, challenges, recommendations and a programme of action for the MDGs. Their persistence on further provincial consultation even in the dying minutes of finalising the report guaranteed stakeholder ownership and thus made this report a truly MDG Country Report. The report acknowledges substantive inputs received from all members of the Sectoral Working Groups (SWGs), the National Coordinating Committee (NCC), and the Report Drafting Team.