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Food crisis and economic turmoil to scuttle UN goals
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 19 - 09 - 2008


A food crisis and economic
turmoil are threatening to scuttle U.N. goals to halve
extreme poverty around the world by 2015, AP quoted an
EU report Friday.
The report, written by a group of researchers from
European and U.S. universities, urged top global donors
such as the 27-nation EU bloc, the United States and others
to meet their aid promises and make sure their aid is spent
effectively.
At a time of tight financial budgets and the U.S.
financial crisis, «Progress needs to be accelerated and
this requires stronger policy coherence at all levels,»
said Francois Bourguignon, from the Paris School of
Economics, who chaired the group.
Despite some advances, the researchers warned donors to
adapt their aid policies quickly to meet new problems
ahead.
The group painted a dire picture for the world's poorest
nations, especially those in sub-Saharan Africa, which see
the highest rates of poverty and deprivation.
«The immediate growth outlook for developing countries is
less positive than for at least a decade, with the slowdown
of the global economy together with oil and food price
shocks,» the report said. «This affects the economic
prospects for poor countries, may reduce capital,
investment and migratory flows benefiting developing
countries and also risks undermining support for
development aid in rich countries.»
The surge in food prices was partly due to the production
of bio-fuels in the EU and United States, the group said,
adding it is «undoubtedly slowing down, and possibly
reversing poverty reduction.»
The report said progress to date had been «highly
uneven,» with Asian nations such as India, China and
Indonesia moving ahead, thanks to strong economic growth,
but others in Africa staying behind because little has been
done to ensure aid programs are drawn up better to address
specific problems they face.
It also urged donors to start drawing up aid goals beyond
the 2015 target, warning that many of the poorest countries
will not be able to meet the goals in seven years time. The
report said the location and distribution of poor people is
changing due to a rapid shift of populations from rural
areas to cities and changing economic times.
The EU's Development Aid Commissioner Louis Michel warned
member states earlier this year they had to increase their
assistance to poor countries, if they want to meet the U.N.
goals.
Oxfam International, Action Aid and other relief agencies
have criticized the EU for not doing more to meet the aid
promises and urged it to set binding spending increases.
Statistics in April showed the EU as a whole slipped below
2006 aid levels last year. It was the first time that had
happened since it committed itself in 2000 to raising aid
spending on a yearly basis.
The 27 EU nations spent 0.38 percent of their gross
national income on development aid in 2007, compared with
0.41 percent in 2006. That amounted to ¤47.7 billion
(US$69.2 billion) in 2006, and ¤46.1 billion (US$66.9
billion) in 2007.
The targets, agreed to by EU nations and other
international donors at the U.N. in 2000, represented major
commitments to halve extreme poverty by 2015, among other
aims.
They promised to set aside at least 0.5 percent of gross
national income to fund development aid by 2010 and 0.7
percent by 2015, to meet U.N. targets.


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