Guardian Blog - TEDxLondon - 21.09.2010

This page will update automatically every minute: On | Off

Millennium development goals summit: live updatesWorld leaders begin gathering in New York today for a three-day

UN millennium development goals summit to review ambitious

anti-poverty targets adopted in 2000. Follow updates throughout

the summit

A woman gazes out from a window in her shanty in a slum area in the heart of Manila on September 6, 2010.

Photograph: Jay Directo/AFP/Getty Images

12.19pm:

Over the next three days, the great and the good will be discussing how far the world has

gone in meeting the MDG agreed at a UN summit five years ago. The event will

culminate in an address by Barack Obama on Wednesday. Others, among the 140

leaders descending on New York, include President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, the

German chancellor, Angela Merkel, and the Chinese prime minister, Wen Jiabao.

Page 1 of 18Millennium development goals summit: live updates | Global development | guardian....

22/09/2010http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2010/sep/20/un-mdg-...

Of the eight goals, the UN agrees that the goal of halving poverty and hunger and cutting

in half the number of people without clean water will be met. Progress on the other

goals, ranging from helping women and their newborns to environmental sustainability,

are mixed.

Here are the eight MDGs

Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

Achieve universal primary education

Promote gender equality and empower women

Reduce child mortality rate

Improve maternal health

Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

Ensure environmental sustainability

Develop a global partnership for development

The Guardian's health correspondent, Sarah Boseley, will cover the event from New

York and we'll be pulling material from around the world over the course of the next

three days. Post your thoughts below or email me at [email protected].

There is already a wealth of material on our new Global development site, which

includes Madeleine Bunting's piece on the eight goals set out in 2000. In today's paper,

we return to 10 newborn African babies who were featured five years ago as part of the

Guardian's focus on Africa during the Make Poverty History campaign. Here is the

official UN summit site.

If you wish to be part of the summit on twitter, you can follow us on GdnDevelopment,

Sarah Boseley in New York, or look out for tweets with these tags #gdndevelopment

#mdgs.

Add your voice to our Audioboo stream to the UN MDG summit in New York. We will

feature some of our favourites.

1.04pm:

In prepared remarks for the summit, the World Bank president, Robert Zoellick, says

that the World Bank has helped to save the lives of 13 million people with its MDG-

related funding for the world's poorest since 2000.

Here are some of his main points:

• Over the last three decades, developing and emerging economies have made progress

in overcoming poverty. In 1981, 52% of people in developing countries lived in extreme

poverty; by 2005, that share had been cut by more than half. Efforts by developing

countries were paying off right up until the crisis, with poverty falling sharply in east

Asia, Latin America, and eastern and central Europe.



• The triple-blow of food, fuel and financial crises since 2008 has slowed down and even

reversed progress towards the MDGs in many countries around the world. The World

Bank estimates that 64 million more people are living in extreme poverty in 2010, and

some 40 million more people went hungry last year because of the crises.

He also makes a plea for "joined-up" thinking.

"We need to interconnect the various goals. It is not enough to build health clinics if

there are no roads for mothers to gain access to them. It is not enough to train teachers

or provide textbooks, if children have to struggle with homework at night in the dark.

People do not live their lives in health sectors, or education sectors, or infrastructure

sectors, arranged in tidy compartments. People live in families, villages, communities,

countries, where all the issues of everyday life merge. We need to connect the dots."

1.19pm:

With purse strings tight because of the economic crisis, expect much talk over the next

few days on how to get the best bang for development bucks. The head of the US Agency

for International Development, Rajiv Shah, told Reuters that it was time to rethink

strategies for tackling poverty to focus on economic growth, accountability and fighting

corruption.

Shah said President Barack Obama's administration, which remained

committed to boost the US aid budget to $52bn (£33.3bn) from about

$25bn, was pushing for a new approach to making aid more effective. He

called for more rigorous accountability standards, programmes that

emphasise local economic development over handouts, and a more

aggressive effort to bring new scientific and technological innovations into

development work. With US congressional elections on Nov 2 and voter

frustration over the slow economic recovery and high unemployment, Shah

said it was vital to show Americans that their tax dollars were not going to

waste.

1.39pm:

Britain's thinktank on international development, the Overseas Development Institute,

has a useful country-by-country assessment of MDGs.

ODI's report card makes a crucial distinction between absolute versus relative progress.

Relative progress measures a country's progress against initial conditions whereas

absolute progress measures change regardless of initial conditions. Low-income

countries, especially those in Africa, tend to rank top on absolute progress, whereas

middle-income countries tend to do better at closing the gap.

Vietnam and Ghana have done particularly well, ODI reports.



Vietnam made unprecedented progress in improving the lives of the poor. It

featured in the top 10 of several indicators, including halving the proportion

of underweight children, and reducing the proportion of people living on less

than $1 a day from nearly two thirds to one fifth in just 14 years. Ghana

outperformed all other countries around the world by reducing hunger by

nearly three-quarters, from 34% to 9%, between 1990 and 2004. It will

achieve MDG 1 before 2015.

1.52pm:

The Africa-based health development organisation (Amref) has been producing these

punchy videos featuring African teens talking about progress towards meeting the

various MDGs. Here is a report on eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, the first

millennium development goal.

2.13pm:

Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister, will fly to New York before the Lib Dem

conference has finished. He is under pressure from his party to ensure that the coalition

government spends 0.7% of gross national income on overseas aid by 2013, the Press

Association reports.

David Hall-Matthews, from Camden, who chaired the working group that

prepared a paper on aid sent a message to Clegg. "Nick, please will you take a

copy of this on the plane with you to read and check the first line on page 17.

O.7% of GNI to be spent on aid is a Liberal Democrat commitment, it is not

an aspiration, like you told Andrew Marr this morning."

The coalition government has protected the aid budget from any cuts, a decision that is

not popular with voters. A recent survey reported that over half of Britons think aid is

wasted, although, paradoxically, most people think it morally right to give aid to poorer

countries.

2.26pm:

It won't be just policy wonkery over the next three days. Delegates will be shopping and

dining as well. The Associated Press has an entertaining piece about the other side of

summitry - gridlock and restaurant bookings.

Restaurants are clearing space for world leaders and their entourages, the

Waldorf-Astoria is fluffing the pillows in the presidential suite and people

who live on Manhattan's east side are just hoping to get into their buildings

without a police escort. Antonio and Mario Cerra, the father and son owners

of a UN-area Italian steakhouse called Padre Figlio, were busy last week

booking tables for countries such as East Timor. It has a reservation for 35 at

Padre Figlio, which in the past has hosted events for Nigeria and Grenada.



Antonio Cerra said the diplomats will eat hearty Italian food with luxurious

touches like black truffles, now in season.

"They know not to ask for Russian food," he said. "They know not to ask for

kosher. They get pasta, seafood, steak, boom."

Cerra said high-level delegations typically take a private room with their

security details occupying one or more tables at the periphery not drinking

wine. "Soda, water, juice," he said. David Pogrebin, the general manager of

the French restaurant Brasserie, said his entire restaurant was booked

during the 2009 general assembly for a luncheon with UN secretary-general

Ban Ki-moon.

"The black cars were literally triple-parked," Pogrebin said. "They don't

carpool."

2.34pm:

There's more side events than you can shake a stick at at these summits. Sarah Boseley

has just been to a symposium called Women: Inspiration and Enterprise organised by

the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood hosted by Sarah Brown, wife of former

PM, Donna Karan and Arianna Huffington.

Sarah emails: "They've just held a brief press conference that was mostly photo op on a

New York rooftop. Huffington said Brown (global patron of the alliance) "had moved

seamlessly from being the first lady of England to the first lady in changing the world".

3.13pm:

Sarah Boseley, who interviewed Sarah Brown ahead of the summit, has just sent this

report on that symposiu.

Over o the other side of New York from the UN building, powerful, ambitious

and wealthy women – together with some from Africa and Asia who won

prizes to get here – have gathered for the first ever Women: Inspiration and

Enterprise Symposium. It's hosted by the White Ribbon Alliance, which

campaigns against the deaths of women in pregnancy and childbirth in

developing countries. It's happening today to put pressure on world leaders

at the UN MDG summit to prioritise women's health.

Sarah Brown is hosting it, together with Donna Karan and Arianna

Huffington. Kathy Lett is telling jokes, Amanda de Cadenet – photographer

and former Big Breakfast host – Ashley Judd and Diane von Furstenberg are

among the glitterati. Queen Rania of Jordan was there to receive an award

for her work on behalf of women in the developing world.



There's little doubt that a good many women have come to find out how to

succeed like they have. But the hosting trio, in a brief press conference that

was mostly a photo-op on the rooftop over breakfast, were at their most

"heartfelt" (in London, one would say gushing) in their praise of each other

and dedication to the cause of maternal mortality.

Women in fashion are increasingly looking at the inside, not just the outside,

said Karan, and together they can change the world. "Really looking into

your heart and soul - at that point you know there is not any question for

you," she said. Huffington praised the other two as "two women I greatly

admire because they have made their lives about something beyond their

own success in ther world. They are the role model for all of us." Sarah

Brown, she said, "has moved seamlessly from being the First Lady in

England to the First Lady in changing the world. That is fantastic. Donna has

never stopped. She is a phenomenal businesswoman, designer, artist..."

3.17pm:

To coincide with summit, more than 60 public TEDxChange satellite events will be held

around the world. They are organised as viewing parties and discussions around a live

webcast from New York, convened by Melinda Gates. Around two thirds of the events

are being held in Europe and North America, with the remaining third spread across

Africa, Asia, South America, and the Middle East. (Registration required.)

3.24pm:

You can follow a live webcast of the summit here. Right now, it's all procedural stuff, as

in "please don't overrun your speeches and please stay in your seats when somebody

finishes speaking".

This Twitter list is worth following.

3.30pm:

We're off. The summit has opened with the UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, making

his welcoming remarks. Here's a snippet from AP.

"We brought new urgency to an age-old mission," he said. "And now, we

have real results. New thinking and path-breaking public-private

partnerships. Dramatic increases in school enrolment. Expanded access to

clean water. Better control of disease. The spread of technology from mobile

to green."

But Ban called the advances "fragile" and declared "the clock is ticking, with

much more to do."

He urged the leaders to deliver the needed resources "above all by exercising

political leadership."

"Despite the obstacles, despite the scepticism, despite the fast-approaching



deadline of 2015, the millennium development goals are achievable," the

secretary-general said.

3.34pm:

President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has been busy kicking Roma out of France, is now at the

podium. He says much progress has been made, but much remains to be done. He asks

donor countries whether they will use the unprecedented economic crisis as a pretext to

do less or "will we do our utmost to live up to our promises?"

He says France will increase its aid by a fifth over the next three years.

3.44pm:

In his welcoming remarks, Joseph Deiss, the president of the general assembly, called

on governments to send "a strong message about our will to achieve" the MDGs by the

target date of 2015.

"We must do it, we want to do it and we can do it," Deiss said. "We do not have the right

to fail. The eyes of the world are upon us."

Ban Ki-moon emphasised the importance of investing in women and girls.

"There is more to do for the mother who watches her children go to bed hungry – a

scandal played out a billion times each and every night. There is more to do for the

young girl weighed down with wood or water when instead she should be in school. And

more to do for the worker far from home in a city slum, watching jobs and remittances

disappear amid global recession."

Ban is expected to unveil a global strategy for improving women's and children's health,

with studies indicating that a boost in this area will have an enormous multiplier effect

across all the MDGs.

• UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon opens summit by urging rich countries

to 'send a strong message of hope. Let us keep the promise'

• Sarkozy urges aid donors not to use economic crisis as a pretext to do less

• More than 140 world leaders are expected. Amid high security even UN

staff and permanent correspondents are subjected full screening to enter

the UN building

4.01pm:

Check out a new Guardian interactive - charting progress on poverty.

Sign up to receive our email newsletters on the UN summit. We'll be sending one out

each day of summit, then fortnightly.

Register here.



4.13pm:

ActionAid has put out this video urging help for poor women farmers.

4.39pm:

WaterAid makes a plea for more investment in sanitation and clean water.

"Diarrhoea is the biggest killer of children in Africa today. The terrible truth is that these

deaths could be prevented with sanitation and clean water. It's not rocket science. No

one needs to die from diarrhoea in the 21st century", said Mariame Dem, WaterAid's

head of west Africa region.

WaterAid cites new figures from the World Health Organisation showing that sanitation

is now the most off-track MDG target in sub-Saharan Africa, and the second most off-

track target worldwide after nutrition.

4.47pm:

Someone else blogging on the summit. Broker, a magazine and website, is in New York

to "spectate on developments and longer term strategic choices as the MDGs approach

the final whistle".

4.54pm:

What it's like covering these jamborees? Sarah Boseley gives us a flavour in her latest

missive. Reminds me of happy days covering the UN. Hang in there Sarah, there is no

place like the UN for networking. Everybody drops in, not just dignitaries but

celebrities. We all wanted to meet the likes of Geri Halliwell of Spice Girls fame when

they came by.

A yellow cab refuses to take me to the UN building on 1st Avenue. When I get

there via train and walking, I see why. A massive police cordon has stopped

all traffic movement beyond 2nd Avenue and only those with plastic passes

on metal chains can get through. Lucky I queued half an hour for mine –

which still necessitated filling out forms even though it had been approved a

week ago - last night. Media arrangements at the UN are designed to make

clear to us what a lower species of life we journalists are. There is a packed

media room in a building styled like a warehouse and two video screens

relaying – silently – the speeches of one government leader after another in

the main chamber. Headphones are available should you want to listen. I

caught a snatch of Bolivia advocating sport for children to distract them from

"this perversity" - not sure which one - before calling for access to water as a

human right. The media are restricted to the warehouse, but every now and



then we are offered a "stake-out". This turns out to be access to a roped-off

and heavily guarded section of a corridor, where we can gather to listen to a

dignitary. It was announced that Dominique Strauss-Kahn, managing

director of the International Monetary Fund, was at the stake-out – but

when I got there he must have moved on. A few cameramen stood there with

their heavy gear, shifting from foot to foot, and a few important people swept

past and with their entourages, but that was all.

5.20pm:

The UN development fund for women (Unifem) outlines four priority areas for urgent

action.

• Expanding women-friendly public services

• Guaranteeing land and jobs for women

• Increasing women's voice in decision-making

• Ending violence against women and girls

It will unveil new "gender justice" statistics later today at an event that will be

webcasted.

Key data and related reports are available on the Unifem website.

5.27pm:

The Spanish president, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, has just echoed Sarkozy, in

calling for a small tax on financial transactions, to fund the MDGs. The idea of such a

tax, notably advocated by former economist James Tobin, has been knocking around for

years. Don't hold your breath.

5.35pm:

You can follow coverage of the summit through the Voice Project, founded by Oxfam,

bringing together bloggers from around the world.

On gender issues, a couple of comments on Huffington Post. Evelyn Leopold, who

covered the UN for Reuters, discusses maternal mortality.

The statistics for maternal mortality have improved by 34%. That means a

woman is no longer dying every minute, but one woman is still dying every

minute and a half.

Mary Robinson and Wangari Maathai, the 2004 Nobel peace laureate, call for more

women to be involved in discussions on climate change.

The battle to protect the environment is not solely about technological

innovation -- it is also about empowering women and their communities to

hold their governments accountable for results.



5.50pm:

The international development secretary, Andrew Mitchell, says he will push for all aid

to be more transparent and more accountable. Here's what the Department for

International Development wants to see coming out of the summit.

• An internationally agreed action agenda setting out the steps that need to be taken to

meet the MDGs by 2015.

• Collective international action to reduce the number of mothers and babies dying

around the world and to fight to prevent the spread of diseases such as malaria.

• A strong focus on transparency and accountability and the need to maximise the

impact of aid.

• Agreement to work together to address issues of conflict, fragility and violence which

are hindering progress.

5.59pm:

Here are pictures from this morning' session. Quite a few empty seats in some of the

photos, but I'm sure it will be a full house on Wednesday when Obama shows up.

6.02pm:

ActionAid likes Sarkozy's call for a tax on financial transactions.

"It's fantastic that France is proving that even in tough economic times, money can be

found to tackle poverty. As chair of the G20 from next year President Sarkozy is in pole

position to lead progress on a financial transaction tax. This tiny tax on major financial

deals would cost banks little, but raise big bucks for the world's poor," said ActionAid's

head of policy, Meredith Alexander.

6.21pm:

There are reports galore at this summit. Here is one from the UN economic commission

for Africa and the OECD thinktank on progess in Africa. From the executive summary.

The loss of growth in 2009 and its impact over the next two to three years

have set back the impressive progress that Africa had started to make

towards the millennium development goals (MDGs), and has left the legacy

of significantly greater challenges over the five-year period remaining, to

2015. Two other significant developments since the last report in 2009 have

been the greatly increased international attention on climate change and the

growing engagement between Africa and emerging economies. There is

increasing awareness of the fact that climate change – which is not a

problem of Africa's making – will impose major costs and will have profound

impacts on its prospects for economic growth and poverty reduction. The

growing engagement with emerging economies – reflected in the

diversification of Africa's trading partners – has been another key factor in

Page 10 of 18Millennium development goals summit: live updates | Global development | guardia...


helping to cushion the impact of the crisis, and will profoundly alter the

development landscape to 2015 and beyond.

6.34pm:

Eliza Anyangwe who was at the TedX event in Accra, Ghana sent this.

We sat patiently through poor broadband connection and applauded every

speaker. But we gave rapturous applause to Graca Machel; freedom fighter,

president of the foundation for community development and wife of Nelson

Mandela. Machel, who was speaking from New York, moved the TedXAccra

group with her focus on Africa, saying: "Everybody seems to have a plan for

Africa, but we need a plan developed by Africans for Africans." This was met

with obvious agreement from the room. The view in Accra is that the MDGs

don't measure the solidarity and the links between different African

communities - the networks that will be essential to maintain progress in

development. Neither do they measure African's self-confidence or

happiness. Machel indicated that the MDGs were not bad, but there were too

few voices included within them.

6.49pm:

Foreign Policy magazine has its own take on progress on each of the eight MDGs by

Elizabeth Dickinson, who neatly encapsulates how everything is connected.

In the last half-century that the world has been trying to do "development,"

perhaps the biggest lesson that analysts and aid workers have learned is that

cutting poverty is pretty much an all-or-nothing proposition. You can't, for

instance, improve education if you don't empower women; you can't feed

people if you don't shore up the international trading regime; and you can't

reduce inequality when corruption pervades.

She says MDG 7 - ensure environmental sustainability - has been a disaster, as the world

didn't meet its 2010 targets to stop the loss of species, and 13m hectares of forest are

still uprooted each year. With climate change accelerating, these problems may well get

worse before they get better, she asserts.

Also on Foreign Policy is a typically thorough piece by Colum Lynch on all the

diplomatic jostling and manoeuvring that can be expected in the next few days on non-

development issues from Rwanda to Iran to Sudan.

7.06pm:

While world leaders congregate at the UN, a "social good summit" is taking place today

at the 92nd Street Y, a community centre in the upper east side. The summit will discuss



the ways in which new media can help achieve the MDGs. Two Oscar winners are

scheduled to appear, Geena Davis and Edward Norton.

7.10pm:

The delegates are still out to lunch. The live UN webcast is showing an entrance with a

revolving door, riveting stuff.

Meanwhile, more on the TEDxChange events that have been going on around the world.

Mariam Cook, who attended the London even, writes:

TEDx London is buzzing with 400 attendees. Hooked up to TEDxChange in

new York along with 80 other TedX events around the world we have heard

an upbeat series of speakers emphasizing progress, national success stories

and solutions. Melinda Gates appealed for innovations in development to be

drawn from all sectors' She used the example of Coca-Cola to argue for the

importance of real time data and measurement, and enlisting the help of

local entrepreneurs to accelerate progress toward development goals. The

disappointment in London was palpable when the audio connection between

London and new York was lost - so Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's speech

could not be shared with the global TEDxChange audience.

7.27pm:

Sarkozy's call for a financial transactions tax receives more support from NGOs.

Tearfund, a Christian relief and development agency, and a member of the Disasters

Emergency Committee (DEC), put out this statement.

'It's great to see France and Spain advocating a financial transaction tax, which would

benefit the world's poorest people. This strong lead is exactly what the world needs if we

are to raise the additional money that is needed to meet the commitments we made

through the millennium development goals and to tackle climate change, which is

already affecting some of the world's poorest communities."

The trouble is the US does not seem too keen on the idea.

8.00pm:

This is what the prime minister of Bhutan, Jigme Thinley, told delegates.

"Since happiness is the ultimate desire of every citizen it must be the purpose of

development to create enabling conditions for happiness. As it is likely that the

relevance of eight MDGs will remain beyond 2015, my delegation would like to propose

that we include happiness as the ninth MDG."

8.15pm:

Proceedings have resumed with the president of Croatia making the first post-lunch



Next

Previous

Blog home

Ads by Google

ACCA Courses in UK

Professional Tutors Team, Free Practical Skills. Enrol Today!

www.LSBF.org.uk/ACCA

Free $50, no Deposit

Learn Step by Step how to trade and Profit in Real Time -Full Training-

XForex.com/Trade-Currencies-online

Spread Betting - Try Now

Try GFTs Award-Winning Trading Platform. Free Practice Account.

www.GFTuk.com

Comments in chronological order (Total 11

comments)Show all comments in new window

Post a comment

Staff

Contributor

watercouncil

20 September 2010 1:22PM

Of the eight goals, the UN agrees that the goal of halving poverty and hunger and cutting

in half the number of people without clean water will be met. But, to date about 1

million people are still without access to safe water and more than 2.6 billion lack access

to basic sanitation.

Ger Bergkamp, Director General of the World Water Council writes in an article today:

"While a few countries may reach the water and sanitation targets, insufficient emphasis

is put on the role of water to reach the Millennium Development Goals [...] At the UN

summit, world leaders need to recognize that improving access to water and sanitation

benefits the capacity to reach all of the MDGs. There is a clear correlation between clean

water, basic sanitation, ending extreme poverty and socio-economic development. In

many ways, providing access to safe water is a catalyst for broader change and

development."

Recommend? (0)

Report abuse

presentation. Judging by the number of empty seats, many are still out to lunch. On that

note, it's time to wrap things up until 12.30pm tomorrow.



Clip

| Link

Strummered


"Antonio Cerra said the diplomats will eat hearty Italian food with luxurious touches

like black truffles, now in season."

Cynical moi?

Recommend? (4)

Report abuse

Clip

| Link

Jeneral28


The goals are GLOBAL targets (see the writings of Sir Richard Jolly, Jan

Vandermoortele for eg) and the stastical targets in each goals are not meant to be

achieved by each country especially those in Africa. Therefore, the great need is to have

context-specific development plans (not just targets) toreach a collective target--the

MDGs. It is also fine that the MDGs are cheerleaders for increasing aid and

development focus, but the greater need is for ideas to be set out for a route really out of

development.

Check out more in my post "Why I still believe in the MDGs". I'm not sure all world

leaders and policy makers even understand what the MDGs are and are not.

http://ipeanddevelopment.wordpress.com/2010/09/19/why-i-still-believe-in-the-

mdgs/

Recommend? (0)

Report abuse

Clip

| Link

Jeneral28


Robert Zoellick should start by affirming that his neo-liberal agenda inthe past (as US

Trade Rep) has kept developing countries locked into poverty.

Recommend? (2)

Report abuse

Clip



| Link

Halo572


'The Millennium Development Goals can still be met if enough work is done, the UN

secretary general has said.'

That applies to a lot of small things in life but they never get done, mostly because

people don't care or can't be bothered. Add in that it isn't going to generate any profit

and it isn't really that hopeful is it.

Let's face it, improving the world isn't exactly as useful as speculating on property or

commodities or packaging up debt and selling it on in some pyramid selling scheme.

Now that is much more worthwhile.

Recommend? (1)

Report abuse

Clip

| Link

Jeneral28


@Halo572 what is exactly used in speculating on property? That has created more

negative effects--you should know what--than anything worthwhile.

Recommend? (0)

Report abuse

Clip

| Link

andrebreton


Hmmm…and there was me thinking the Millenium came round a decade ago…

Do the world's ruling classes care? Of course not!

Ending world hunger cost (according to UN) = $195 billion

Amount spent on Military research by the US alone last year = $720 billion

Enough said.

Recommend? (1)

Report abuse

Clip

| Link



RudyHaugeneder


Climate change is rapidly and badly affecting the world's food growing regions and that,

despite some Millennium Development Goals almost being met, means these

accomplishments will soon disappear -- especially in worst-hit places like most of Africa,

China and India.

And when that happens, and it will, very soon, the poverty and disease that prompted

the Millennium Development Goals will be seen as the good times.

Doubt it? Ask a serious international commodity analyst how much of the world's grain

belt, for example, has been inked "red" for current and future disasters.

You are likely to be shocked.

Recommend? (1)

Report abuse

Clip

| Link

Jeneral28

21 September 2010 4:20AM

Yes the myth is that the MDGs has made the world spend too much on it.

Spend too much? the spending is not the issue, it's the abuse of spending. Aid, especially

from countries like the US, has never been used for development purposes but instead

for political/military purposes. Even if the aid is for development, it is usually neo-

liberal condition linked aid, which has been known to cause(to no surprise) the debt

crisis of the 1980s, theAsian Financial Crisis and volia, the current economic mess--

which countries willingly increased their debt by bailing out banks!

Recommend? (0)

Report abuse

Clip

| Link

JazCummins


@watercouncil thanks for the link, and your views on water's prominence, I've sent that

to Mark ([email protected]) who'll be running the live blog again today.

Similarly Jeneral82 thanks for the post on why you still believe, great to hear more of

your thoughts here.



RudyHaugeneder thanks for raising the issue of climate change's impact on food

growing regions, I see you've been following John Vidal's series from Peru which delves

into this issue, one we're hopping to discuss more.

(Community Co-ordinator)

Recommend? (0)

Report abuse

Clip

| Link

BethanHelpAge


“Washington Consensus dead, long live social protection!”

Its hard to get inspired by the language in an Summit outcome document, but the trades

unions are all excited about that today. Sharon Burrow, Secretary of ITUC along with

Jane Stewart, special representative to the UN for International Labour Office amongst

others have been highlighting the step change in attitudes at the UN and internationally

towards decent work, social protection, and ultimately, on the role of the state and the

need to tackle inequality. In Outcome Document language which refers to the need for

decent work, social protection and the Global Jobs pact, they see a recognition of a new

development agenda and a new role for the state – one where governments’ economic

policies are a servant to the real economy, to real jobs, where sustainable growth means

providing a minimum floor of basic services and cash transfers to people in poverty - not

just as a short-term fiscal stimulus, but as long term guarantee. A ray of hope indeed,

and one supported to some extent by the IMF – which yesterday announced in a high

profile meeting of world leaders its support for governments’ role in supporting

sustainable growth and job creation, and its willingness to work with the International

Labour Organisation – this is a shift in global attitudes indeed, and one which could

only have been brought about by the global financial crisis. And the how would this new

consensus respond to the challenge of global population ageing? The ITUC fully

supports the need for social pensions as “the fastest way to get to universal social

protection and provide a dignified retirement” - well bless you Ms Burrow, it’s a good

day indeed to see global trade unions reaching out to the 70% of the global working poor

who do not work in the formal economy, are usually unaffiliated to trade unions and

cannot afford to save for retirement. The real work, of course, will be the battle turning

this language into meaningful change for working age older poor people on the ground,

as the Brazilian and Latin American union activists vocally stressed. ‘Down with the

Washington Consensus, long live social protection!’

A new development tax on financial trading?



Elsewhere, the press pack was mobbing a meeting opened by Queen Rania of Jordan.

The subject? A financial transactions tax which could provide $30 billion per year for

development. By taxing short term financial trades (the sort that recently brought the

world to its knees) at 0.005%, meeting organisers claims to have found a source of

innovative financing for health, education and all manner of other development projects

which wouldn’t affect the working of financial markets (though the potential for the tax

to tame financial market volatility must be a bonus). Unsurprisingly, the UK and the

USA have been reluctant to support - but the governments of Japan, France and other

countries speaking at the meeting may just go it alone anyway. Royal good luck to you –

we at HelpAge can think of a few ways to spend the money – just 3% of global GDP

would fund social pensions for the world’s poorest older people, how’s that for an

innovative idea?!

Bethan Emmett

HelpAge International

Recommend? (0)

Report abuse

Clip

| Link

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and signed in.

Register | Sign in

Post a comment

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2010



Documents

Guardian Blog - TEDxLondon - 21.09.2010