Tuesday, August 31, 2010

The debate on if the world will meet the MDGs

With five years left to go, there is a lot of debate on if the Millennium Development Goals will be met.

Some economists say that most areas of the world will at least be able to meet the Goal of halving poverty. While some who work for NGOs and the United Nations say that most of the world is falling short. There is some agreement that doubling access to sanitation will not be met.

From this APP article that we found at the Sydney Morning Herald, writer Danny Rose recieves the view of Tom Costello, leader of World Vision in Australia.

"The global financial crisis meant we took our eyes off the MDGs and off the ball," Mr Costello told reporters in Melbourne on Tuesday.

"We retreated, looked inwards, and we're stuck in our bubbles saying `we're only worried about our selves' ... there was certainly a drying up of funds and momentum."

The disadvantage in developing nations was also exacerbated as rising unemployment in the first world resulted in less "remittance" money flowing into the third world, as migrant workers had less extra cash to send home to their families.

Mr Costello spoke at the 63rd annual United Nations' DPI/NGO (Department of Public Information/Non-Governmental Organisation) conference, the world's largest gathering of aid and charity workers and the biggest UN summit yet held in Australia.

The event is focused on assessing global progress towards the MDGs, and Mr Costello said the world could yet meet the MDG defined targets for improved childhood education.

Clear progress was also evident in the now "flattened" rate of new HIV infections globally, he said.

"The MDGs, because they exist, we've seen some three million children's lives saved since the year 2000," Mr Costello said.

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