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UN bids to get development goals 'back on track'

25/09/2008

Gordon Brown is among world leaders meeting today to secure fresh commitment to achieving the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

At the halfway point towards achieving the goals, the UN has admitted that none are likely to be achieved in Africa by 2015.

The fact that large pockets of people across the world are still living in extreme poverty is being exacerbated by rises in global food and fuel prices, as well as climate change.

UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon said he hoped today's high-level meeting in New York would identify gaps in the MDGs and establish commitments to concrete action to bridge them.

"It is my firm hope that we will be able to look back on this day as the moment when the world got back on track to reaching the goals," he said.

Mr Ban added that the MDGs had already achieved success in school enrolment, agricultural productivity, access to clean water, the eradication of malaria and expansion of Aids treatment.

But "rapid progress" is still possible, the UN chief insisted.

A report released today to coincide with today's meeting says the food crisis afflicting the world has the potential to scupper all eight of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

ActionAid goes as far to blame rich countries for contributing to the current crisis and accuses world powers of slow progress.

Dr Claire Melamed, head of policy at the charity, warned of a future, more damaging food crisis.

"Thanks to Gordon Brown, world leaders are in New York discussing how to end poverty and hunger," she said.

"But if they are serious about achieving the millennium goals and solving the food crisis they must refocus their aid efforts on solving the problems of the majority of the world's poor people who are small farmers in poor countries.

"Not only has the quantity of aid to agriculture fallen dramatically, it has been spent on the wrong things. It has not prioritised reducing hunger - the ten countries that account for 69 per cent of the world's hungry receive only 20 per cent of all agricultural aid."

Speaking ahead of the meeting, the Liberal Democrats urged Mr Brown not to be distracted by separate talks on the turmoil afflicting global financial markets.

"With only seven years until 2015, urgent action is needed if we are to achieve the vital goals of giving every child a primary education, combating the scandal of half a million deaths in childbirth every year and tackling HIV/AIDS," said the party's international development spokesman Michael Moore.

"The MDGs were meant as a modest first step. It will shame the developed world if we cannot muster the will to achieve them."

In his make-or-break speech to the Labour party conference this week, Mr Brown stressed the importance of international development.

"This Labour government will not allow the world to stand by as more than 20,000 children die today from diseases we know how to cure," he told delegates.

"We will not pass by as 100 million men, women and children face a winter of starvation.

"So the poor will not go unheard tomorrow at the United Nations, because we the British people will speak up for them and for justice."