Aid Workers assess U.N. World Summit by Kirsty Whalley, Alertnet 8:38am 20th Sep, 2005   16 Sep 2005    The world summit marking the 60th birthday of the United Nations was seen by many activists as a major chance for countries to give new impetus to globally agreed Millennium Development Goals aimed at alleviating poverty and disease by 2015.    As the summit wrapped up in New York on Sept. 16, Alert Net asked NGOs for their reaction to the biggest gathering of world leaders in history.    “World leaders agreed to stop future genocides but failed to provide life-saving aid to millions trapped in poverty. This has been a tale of two summits. The historic agreement to stop future genocides stands in stark contrast with the lack of progress on ending poverty. Leaders must urgently get back on track to deliver debt cancellation and fair trade.” (Nicola Reindorp, head of New York office, Oxfam)    “There are some glimmers of progress, but overall the tone of this summit has been bleak and depressing. Instead of achieving consensus, too many leaders have been posturing and defending their own interests. It is hard to believe that the cry for justice issued by anti poverty campaigners across the world earlier this year has fallen on such deaf ears. Never was there such a chance to improve the lives of millions; never was there such a mean spirited and self-interested response from the rich and powerful.” (Charles Abugre, head of policy, Christian Aid)    “Bob Geldof is broadly right in his analysis of what the summit has delivered. Despite the unprecedented global campaign to make poverty history, leaders have been offering cold comfort to the world’s poor. The door has been kept open for further progress, but alongside aspirational language we must see timely and concrete action on aid, trade, debt and HIV and Aids. It is an outrage that one billion people around the world continue to live in extreme poverty.” (Steve Tibbett, head of policy, ActionAid)    “Eleven million children will die from the effects of extreme poverty each year that the international community delays increasing overseas aid. This government has already let the peoples of Ireland and Africa down by not achieving the original target date of 2007. We are launching a petition to increase the amount of money we spend on overseas aid. Reaching 0.7 percent of GDP by 2012 is non-negotiable. This increase is a crucial part of a very detailed plan, which includes making trade fair and dropping debt, to lift Africa off its knees and stop the needless and shameful deaths of millions of people every year by poverty.” (Helen Keogh, CEO, World Vision Ireland)    “Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern’s announcement that Ireland will meet the U.N. target of spending 0.7 percent of GDP on overseas aid by 2012) is a victory for the people – the people who are living in grinding poverty in the developing world and the people of Ireland who put pressure on the government to deliver this pledge.    “We have a date, we have a plan and over the next seven years a real chance to start finding real solutions to acute and chronic hunger and to tackle the scourge of HIV/AIDS.” (Paddy Maguinness, deputy chief executive, Concern)    “We are disappointed that world leaders did not use the U.N. summit to advance their collective commitment to halve extreme poverty and hunger, cut child mortality by two-thirds and ensure the basic education of every child by 2015. The governments involved in the negotiations have failed even to acknowledge that the first MDG target for 2005 of the goal of equity for girls and boys in primary education has not been reached.    “We applaud the efforts of a large number of governments to reach for a progressive outcome to this Summit and we welcome the recognition in the Outcome Document of children’s rights, the critical role of both formal and informal education, the need for protection of children affected by armed conflict, violence, trafficking and abuse and on steps forward on development assistance.” (International Save the Children Alliance)
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