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
New York, November 26, 2008 – The United Nations Millennium Campaign is calling for donor countries gathering at the Financing for Development Conference in Doha to commit to equitable trade rules and more effective aid that can help achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Poor countries in turn must focus on mobilizing domestic resources and enhance MDG-related public expenditures, as poor people brace themselves for the ripple effects of the global economic shock.
(STRASBOURG, November 15th) More than 1 million Europeans mobilized on October 17th --the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty -- under the Stand Up and Take Action initiative, to ask their Governments to keep their commitments on increasing aid quantity and quality, debt relief, and trade opportunities that will help poor countries to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
(Strasbourg, November 15h) During the European Development Days in Strasbourg, the French Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) - an alliance comprising a growing number of civil society organizations which mobilize to fight extreme poverty - organized an event in the center of town to draw attention to the current economic crisis afflicting poor countries. The symbolic action took place on November 15, while the G-20 economic summit was taking place in Washington, D.C.
The United Nations Millennium Campaign is today calling for world leaders gathering at President Bush’s economic summit in Washington this Saturday to allocate $300 billion in additional aid and debt relief to the world’s poorer countries, to make up for the GDP they are forecast to lose as a result of the global financial crisis over the next two years.
