Millennium Development Goals: 5 years later, the need to accelerate

At the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000, 191 States undertook to achieve 8 goals by 2015 to eradicate poverty and to reduce the inequalities in the world. Five years later on, it is time to make a first assessment and to draw up conclusions. And it is clear that we need to accelerate if we want to meet the challenge within the time limits. The European Union, the number one world donor, has assumed its responsibilities through engagements aiming "to do more, do it better do and do it faster".

The Millennium Development Goals (MDG)

• Cut by half, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than 1 USD a day
• Cut by half, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger
• Achieve Universal Primary Education
• Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
• Reduce by two-thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate. Reduce by three-quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio.
• Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS. Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases
• Ensure Environmental Sustainability. Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources; cut by half, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and access to basic sanitation; By 2020, to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers.
• Develop a Global Partnership for Development: Develop further an open trading and financial system that is rule-based, predictable and non-discriminatory. A commitment to good governance, development and poverty reduction-nationally and internationally.

EU undertakings

The European Union (Commission + Member States) accounts for now 55% of world aid.

However, to achieve the MDGs, it is necessary "to do more, better and faster". The European Commission has made and will make proposals to strengthen the level of ambition and to consolidate its world leadership in Development Policy.

To do more

Following a proposal by the European Commission, the General Affairs Council of 25 May 2005 decided to undertake a new collective objective consisting in achieving 0,56% of their GNI in Official Development Aid (ODA) by 2010, which means an additional annual amount of 20 billion euros.

i) the Member States which have not yet reached an individual threshold of 0,51% undertook to achieve it by 2010, within the framework of their respective budgetary procedures, while those which already exceeded this rate undertook to continue their efforts;

ii) the Member States which entered the EU after 2002 and which have not yet reached a level of 0,17 % will increase their APD, within the framework of their respective budgetary procedures, to attain this level by 2010, while those which already exceeded this rate committed themselves to continuing their efforts;

iii) the Member States undertook to arrive at a level of ODA of 0,7% by 2015. Those which already had achieved this goal committed themselves to remaining above this rate; the Member States which entered the EU after 2002 committed themselves to reaching a level of 0,33% by 2015.

Better

If we want our aid to be more effective, we need to improve the coherence between the other EU policies and the policy of Development. Concrete commitments have already been agreed for 11 European policies.

Moreover, the European Commission has put on the table of the Council and the Parliament a set of proposals to federalize the Development policies of the Member States around common objectives, with improved coordination, shared principles and harmonized procedures. A decision of the Council is expected before the end of the year.

Faster

Africa is the continent which is moving more slowly towards the OMD. Without a change of policies, Africa will achieve the goal of halving poverty only in...2147! instead of 2015, the date fixed in 2000. Acceleration is essential. The European Commission proposed - and this was agreed by the Member States in May 2005 that at least half of the increase in the assistance should be devoted to Africa.

Focus on Africa

Next month the European Commission will launch a Strategic Plan for Africa which will focus on an ambitious partnership Europe-Africa to promote the necessary infrastructures, which are a pre-condition for economic and social progress for the Continent. This plan, establishing transport, telecommunication and energy networks, will result from consultations with the African partners, in close link with the plans for infrastructures of the NEPAD.

The figures of poverty

• More than one billion human beings live with less than one dollar per day,
• 300.000 deaths per week are related to poverty, that is to say "the equivalent of one tsunami" every week",
• One human being in four has no access to drinking water,
• 114 million children have no access to primary school education,
• 584 million women are illiterate.

• 11 million children die each year, i.e. 30.000 children per day, the majority being under 5 years of age. Half of them succumb to diseases which can be treated, such as malaria, diarrhoea and pneumonia,
• Every year, 400 million cases of malaria are registered. This disease kills a million people per annum, of which 75% are children of less than 5 years of age living in Africa.
• every day HIV/Aids kills 8.000 human beings

And a press pack is available online at : http://europa.eu.int/comm/development/body/communications/communications_en.htm

SPOTS : audiovisual spots in six languages can be downloaded at : http://www.europe-cares.org/fra/downloads.htm

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• European Community Statement - UN High Level Meeting (16/9/2005)
• EU Commission President Barroso remarks at meeting with UK Prime Minister Blair, Nigerian President Obasanjo, and Sir Bob Geldof (15/9/2005)
• Speech by EU Commission President Barroso - Financing for Development (14/9/2005)
• EU Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner's notes on UN Summit press conference  (12/9/2005)
• EU-UN relations (12/9/2005)
• UN World Summit 2005: Commission President Barroso challenges others to match EU's commitments on Development goals  (12/9/2005)
• The EU at the UN Summit (12/9/2005)
• Conclusions of EU External Relations Council - Accelerating progress towards MDGs (24/5/2005)
• Questions and Answers - The Commission's 'MDG Package' (Millennium Development Goals) (12/4/2005)