Aid works!
Dans cette page :
- What is development assistance?
- Aid works!
- How are we doing?
- What do we expect from the G8 and the G20 in June 2010?
What is development assistance?
Development assistance (also know as international aid) is a financial contribution that industrialized countries make to countries of the South so that they can invest in their own development and put an end to extreme poverty. It makes possible real progress in health and education, in building basic infrastructure such as roads, in promoting gender equality and empowering women, and in preserving the environment.
For many poor countries, development assistance is an absolute necessity.
Aid works!
In India, thanks to international aid, 20 million children have been able to go to school since 2001 and two-thirds of the adult population can read and write. In the Philippines, the infant mortality rate was cut in half in only four years. In Tanzania, 92% of newborns have been vaccinated against measles, and 85% against diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus.
It is obvious that a generous and sustained investment effort can bring the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to reality, and can put an end to many of the scourges that afflict poor countries. But because the political will has been lacking, the international contribution has been far from sufficient.
How are we doing?
In 1970, rich countries promised to devote 0.7% of their national income to Official Development Assistance (ODA). Although Sweden, Norway, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Denmark have exceeded expectations and are devoting nearly 1% of their income to aid (despite the recession!), none of the economic powers that make up the G8 has yet reached this target. Canada, for example, gives only 0.33% of its national income in international aid.
At the Gleneagles Summit in 2005, the G8 promised $50 billion in additional aid, half of it for Africa. So far, Africa has received only half of the amount promised.
The forecast today is for a total shortfall of $21 billion between what rich countries have promised and what poor countries will receive. The overall needs of countries of the South are estimated at $352 billion. While that figure may seem high, it represents only twice the amount that the US government spent in bailing out a single corporation, American Insurance Group (AIG), in the wake of the financial crisis.
What do we expect from the G8 and the G20 in June 2010?
Leaders must commit themselves to:
- Disburse the money promised in the past, i.e.:
- $50 billion, half of it for Africa, as agreed at Gleneagles.
- $60 billion for universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.
- $1.5 billion for maternal and child health.
- $22 billion for food security, to help the billion people now suffering from chronic hunger.
- $11 million for universal education and literacy.
- Boost aid levels to 0.7% of national income. They can afford this target.
Development assistance is a matter of moral responsibility for the major economic powers, because they are largely responsible for the economic rules and structural problems that cause poverty. Our leaders must take action to meet the needs of countries of the South as quickly as possible.
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