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| August 24, 2004 |
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| UN Development Goals Fall Short |
WASHINGTON - August 24, 2004. The worlds poorest countries are in severe danger of failing to meet
ambitious economic and development goals set for the next decade,
according to a report from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund,
reports The Washington Times.
The report said developing countries are not getting the economic aid they
need, blaming contradictory economic policies on trade and aid in the
worlds industrial countries. The reports overall assessment is a somber
one, said Zia Qureshi, the lead author of the survey. Business as usual
will not do, he said. All parties must scale up their actions significantly and swiftly. Activists hope that the reports findings will influence deliberations when finance ministers of the Group of Seven, the worlds leading industrial powers, meet in Washington on Oct. 1, said Marie
Clarke, national coordinator of Jubilee USA Network.
Strong growth in Asia, especially in India and China, makes it likely that
the target for decreasing world poverty by half will be met. However, many individual countries will miss the income target. In sub-Saharan Africa, poverty levels rose in the past decade. Only 15 percent to 20 percent of the developing countries are on track to meet the goal of reducing child mortality by two-thirds. Access to clean water and basic sanitation also are limited, and the number of people infected with HIV/AIDS in the developing countries also remains very high, the report found. Adotei Akwei, advocacy director for Amnesty International Africa, said the detailed assessment of the recent report exposes a bleak picture. The
World Bank and IMF are beginning to realize that remedies need to be
taken, he said. World Bank Managing Director Shengman Zhang said the
report was a landmark in the monitoring of global progress and a
centerpiece in the discussion of how to aid developing countries. The
report is the first in a series of annual reports assessing the
implementation of the policies and actions for achieving the MDGs, adopted
in the wake of the 2000 UN Millennium Summit in New York.
As the G-7 meeting approaches, debt analysts say there is a growing
recognition in the United States that it is necessary to address the debt
burden faced by poor nations. We are definitely looking at ways to have a
much more sustainable level of debt relief, said Tony Fratto, deputy
assistant secretary for public affairs at the Treasury Department. We
think that the change should be fairly significant. Contrary to the charges made by debt-relief activists, Fratto contended that poor countries receive more money than they pay because of a 10-year grace period on the money they receive through the World Bank. Fratto said the bank's efforts represent the largest lending facility for poor countries in the world. He said to bring money into the poor countries in the form of grants is equally important to relieving debts. However, he agreed that paying debts and receiving aid can counteract each other.
Although the report outlines deteriorating conditions in a number of
developing countries, Qureshi said the survey also tells an encouraging
story. Many poorer countries have improved their policies greatly. As a
consequence, he said, the international community faces a great
opportunity to accelerate development. Aid remains far too inadequate
relative to what is needed and can be effectively used by developing
countries, Qureshi said. After the Monterrey conference, donors have made
additional commitments of $18.5 billion per year by 2006. But the report argues that developing countries could efficiently handle much more aid, up to $30 billion a year. As low-income countries improve their economic and social policies, they will be able to use $50 billion annually - a figure estimated to be necessary for progress toward the MDGs.
Trade protectionism and other barriers in the industrial world present an
even greater obstacle. The report noted that the money from official aid
programs is undermined by five times as much protection to domestic
agricultural producers in the worlds wealthier countries. The report calls
for the complete elimination of tariffs on manufactured products and
agricultural-export subsidies.
Source: The World Bank |
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