Goal #8Global Partnership
Introduction
The Millennium Goals represent a global partnership for development. The deal makes clear that it is the primary responsibility of poor countries to work towards achieving the first seven Goals. They must do their part to ensure greater accountability to citizens and efficient use of resources. But for poor countries to achieve the first seven Goals, it is absolutely critical that rich countries deliver on their end of the bargain with more and more effective aid, more sustainable debt relief and fairer trade rules, well in advance of 2015.
The Targets
Goal 8 of the Millennium Development Goals sets out by the year 2015 to:
- Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system. Includes a commitment to good governance, development and poverty reduction – both nationally and internationally
- Address the special needs of the least developed countries Includes: tariff and quota free access for the least developed countries’ exports; enhanced programme of debt relief for heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) and cancellation of official bilateral debt; and more generous ODA for countries committed to poverty reduction
- Address the special needs of landlocked developing countries and small island developing States (through the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States and the outcome of the twenty-second special session of the General Assembly)
- Deal comprehensively with the debt problems of developing countries through national and international measures in order to make debt sustainable in the long term
- In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable essential drugs in developing countries.
- In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications.
Did You Know?
The United Nations estimates that unfair trade rules deny poor countries $700 billion every year. Less than 0.01% of this could save the sight of 30 million people. (Source:ChristianAid)
In 1970, 22 of the world's richest countries pledged to spend 0.7% of their national income on aid. 34 years later, only 5 countries have kept that promise. The UK hasn't. (Source:Save The Children)
Achieving the Goals
Debt relief has helped millions in developing countries provide for their people.
Nigeria is using $750 million in debt savings from 2006 to train and recruit new teachers, while Cameroon is debt savings to launch a national HIV/AIDS plan for prevention, education, testing and mother-to- child transmission abatement.
Read more examples of effective aid from the One Campaign
Goal News
In 1969, former prime minister Lester B. Pearson urged all affluent countries to give 0.7 per cent of their gross national product to poorer nations.
Forty years later, Canada – one of the best-positioned countries to give to the poor – does not reach that benchmark.
This was one of the points made yesterday by a keynote speaker at the 2009 Montreal Millennium Summit, an international gathering of experts working to lessen poverty and hunger on the planet.
At this weekend's IMF and World Bank spring meetings, Global ministers warned that the economic crisis risks derailing the MDGs and, in the closing communiqué, "urged donors to accelerate delivery of commitments to increase aid, and for us all to consider going beyond existing commitments." But, in the end, they did very little to provide immediate relief to the world's poorest.
The Financial Times published the leaked G20 draft communiqué yesterday in advance of the summit’s Thursday meeting in London.
Since the Millennium Development Goals were agreed in 2000, many developing countries have made great strides. The world was on track to achieve at least the first Millennium Goal of halving the number of extreme poor, and it was coming close to reaching several other objectives as well. But the present crisis is wiping out that hard fought progress.
Rome, February 14, 2009 – During the meeting of G-7 finance ministers and central bank governors in Rome on February 13-14, the United Nations Millennium Campaign participated in the launch of the document “G-8 2009: Global Challenges and Italian Civil Society Proposals,” organized by the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP).
