The 8 MDGs

Overview

At the start of the 21st century just under a billion people are trapped in a situation of abject poverty and gross inequality, 70% of them are women. We face an AIDS and Malaria emergency, with 40 million people infected by the disease. 77million children are denied access to school, and 860 million adults (70% of them women) cannot read or write. Millions of people are unemployed, working in precarious jobs with deteriorating conditions of labour without a secure income to sustain their families. Children and young people make up half of the world’s population and suffer from the lack of inclusion and provision of basic services and youth employment. Hunger is a daily reality for many. In parts of the world, the death of mothers in childbirth and children in infancy are still routine – deaths that could be prevented by the availability of simple healthcare. 1.4 billion people don’t have access to safe water. We draw inspiration from their persistent daily struggles to realise their rights to livelihoods, resources, assets and basic services. Today the world has enough resources, knowledge and technologies to eradicate poverty. “

— The GCAP Montevideo Declaration, May 2007

DEBT

More money flows out of the developing world every year in debt payments than flows into it in aid. Countries like Indonesia spend between 25 – 40 cents on every dollar on debt servicing, more than they spend on health, education and the environment combined. How can they meet the promise of the Millennium Development Goals when such a large portion of their resources are diverted to service loans, many of which were taken out for selfish reasons by dictators who have long left the scene.

Every dollar spent on debt servicing is a dollar not spent on the MDGs.

The United States, Europe and even Asian governments have found money to bail out banks and give financial institutions a clean slate. It’s time to cancel poor countries’ debts to give their citizens a chance to flourish.

Learn more about debt cancellation from GCAP, Make Poverty History, ONE and Jubilee South.

TRADE

No one wants to rely on a handout. People in poorer countries need the opportunity to earn their own resources for fighting poverty and growing their economies. But international rules make it difficult. Rich countries espouse the benefits of free trade, but they often do not practice what they preach. A cow in Europe recieves a subsidy of US$2 per day. That’s more than most people on Earth earn. How can a farmer in a developing country compete?

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. A fair trade system would give people in poor countries the chance to earn their way out of poverty by participating in the world economy.

Learn more about Trade Justice and Fair Trade from GCAP, ONE and Oxfam Int’l.

AID

Donor governments and international institutions need to provide US$18 billion more per year to meet the Millennium Development Goals. In 1970, 22 of the world’s richest countries pledged to spend 0.7% of national income on Aid. Yet few countries have kept that promise (only 5 nations as of 2004). Then in 2005, G8 countries pledged to double aid by 2010. Unfortunately, we are still waiting for the G8 to honour this commitment.

US$18 billion might sound like a lot of money. It certainly did a year ago. But compare this to the huge sums being spent on financial bailouts (more than US$700 billion in the US alone) and the war in Iraq and suddenly financing for development sounds very very attainable. Rich countries know what needs to be done. They just need to do it.

To learn more about improving the quantity and quality of overseas aid, check out the ODA Asia Forum, GCAP, ONE and this fact sheet from the UN Millennium Campaign.

GENDER EQUITY

Discrimination and injustice are major causes of poverty worldwide. Seventy percent of the world’s poor are women. Girls are less likely than boys to go to school. Girls who do not go to school are more likely to contract HIV/AIDS. In 2008, women still die while giving life. Women earn less for the same work than men.

But if you educate a woman, you educate a nation. And provide a microloan to a woman and her family and community will benefit.

Learn more about gender justice from UNIFEM, GCAP and Oxfam Int’l.

PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY & TRANSPARENCY

All governments must fulfill their commitments. They must be fully accountable to their peoples and transparent in the use of public resources. Governments, institutions, and civil society groups must ensure the causes of corruption are aggressively fought, including in the private sector. Not only must recipient nations be transparent on how funds are spent, but donors must also be open about how aid is distributed.

Learn more about public accountability and holding governments to account.

POVERTY & CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate change hits the world’s poorest people first and hardest.

Countries like Bangladesh and Niger are already affected by flooding, deforestation and desertification. A rapid rise in sea levels endangers people’s livelihoods and homes in the Pacific Islands.

Climate change affecta the income-generating capacity of vulnerable populations. Donor countries can play a key role by paying their fair share of climate adaptation costs to developing regions. Enabling poor countries to adapt to alleviate the pressure on land, water, forests and other natural resources, is actually a means of mitigating climate change itself.

Find out how Singapore youth are fighting climate change, sign Oxfam International’s Climate Change petition, check out GCAP’s climate demands and watch this short video with Bono and Al Gore.