Brussels, 17/09/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 20 September, the High Level Summit, convened by the United Nations to take stock of progress made towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and, the European Union hopes, re-energise the process through the political will shown at the highest level, will open in New York. What is at stake is massive since there are five years left if promises are to be kept and much remains still to be done if extreme poverty and hunger in the world are to be halved by 2015 (MDG 1) and the seven other MDGs contained in the Millennium Statement adapted on 8 September 2000 realised. It is in maternal and child health (MDGs 4 and 5), especially in sub-Saharan Africa, that most ground has to be made up.
The heads of state and government who will attend this meeting number 150. President José Manuel Barroso and Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs will represent the European Commission. Barroso will take part in the opening of discussions, and Piebalgs in the two days of the summit.
Following the European Council on 16 September, which re-stated the EU's determination with its partners in the international community to support achievement of the MDGs by 2015, Barroso will, at the opening ceremony on Monday morning, argue for shared responsibility throughout the world to successfully meet the challenge. He will point out that the EU, the world's largest donor of public development aid, contributing around 56% of global aid, amounting to €49 billion in 2009, is making the effort and will continue to do so.
With the mandate given at the highest political level at June's European Council, which confirmed the EU's commitment to increasing its Official Development Aid (ODA) to 0.7% of GNP by 2015 (with ODA currently at 0.42%, the EU has missed its intermediate target of 0.56% of GDP by 2010), the Commission president will call on all partners together to step up a gear. Barroso will also be able to count on the mandate from European citizens, 90% of whom continue to support the EU's development aid, despite the economic crisis (see EUROPE 10213).
“I firmly believe that it is possible to reach these goals with strong political commitment from all partners and the right policies and resources. Donors must live up to their promises and developing countries must take their future in their own hands. It is about solidarity, ownership and co-responsibility. We must not fail those most in need,” he said in a press release issued on Friday 17 September.
Piebalgs will hammer the point home, arguing the case for a global partnership of the MDGs, based on tangible measures to strengthen developing countries' control over their own destinies, to focus efforts on strategic areas, to enhance the impact of action taken, to provide predictable and greater development funding, and to make more effective use of development resources.
For this, he will use as his basis the “April package” which puts in place a 12-point EU action plan to speed up achievement of the MDGs and contains a raft of recommendations, for instance on a European approach to food security and food aid, on promoting health across the world, and on helping developing countries set up effective tax systems (see EUROPE 10135 and 10123).
To put its money where its mouth is, the Commission is ready to make up to €1 billion available to the most determined of the ACP (Africa, Caribbean, Pacific) group of countries to make progress towards the MDGs and those which are most in need to make up most grounds. This sum will come from the 10th European Development Fund money which has not yet been allocated for other specific objectives. Eligibility criteria are currently under discussion between EU member states and the ACP states.
Since 2004, money mobilised by the Commission for the achievement of the MDGs has helped improve food safety for 24 million people (MDG 1), brought primary education to 9 million children (MDG 2), connected 31 million households to better drinking water (MDG 7, for which €400 million is allocated every year). The final tranche of the €1 billion food facility is being mobilised currently (26,000 tonnes of fertiliser for 11 countries). To date 180,000 farmers have received fertiliser and seeds. (A.N./transl.rt)