Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development
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We agreed to:
- Develop further an open trading and financial system that is rule-based, predictable and non-discriminatory. Includes a commitment to good governance, development and poverty reduction—nationally and internationally.
- Address the least developed countries’ special needs. This includes tariff- and quota-free access for their exports; enhanced debt relief for heavily indebted poor countries; cancellation of official bilateral debt; and more generous official development assistance for countries committed to poverty reduction.
- Address the special needs of landlocked and small island developing States.
- Deal comprehensively with developing countries’ debt problems through national and international measures to make debt sustainable in the long term
- In cooperation with the developing countries, develop decent and productive work for youth.
- 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 technologies.
Goal 8’s where the rich countries cough up the dosh for poor countries to meet the other Goals, and the poor countries make sure it’s used well.
Currently G8 (rich country) leaders are planning on cranking up aid to 0.36% of our national incomes… by 2010!
That’s not enough. The deal was 0.7%, due before yesterday. Actually, it was promised 37 years ago.
The G8 meet this July, in Germany. Stay tuned for campaigns demanding more moolah and debt relief for the poorest nations.
Says Salil Shetty, Director of the UN’s Millennium Campaign:
“If a country is serious and their development partners are serious, then the MDGs are achievable. It comes down to political will but cannot be achieved alone. It needs pressure from local activists at the grassroots level to be successful.”
