15 September 2005
AID AND THE MILLENIUM PLUS FIVE SUMMIT
In the lead up to the Millennium Plus Five Summit taking place in New York this week, the Australian Prime Minister John Howard announced that Australia's overseas aid will be increased to about $4 billion per year by 2010. The announcement also comes after a day when thousands of Australians wore white wristbands urging an increase in the level of aid as part of the campaign to 'Make Poverty History'
Whilst the move has been welcomed as a positive step it still does not go far enough. According to AID/WATCH a not for profit, activist organization monitoring and campaigning on Australian overseas aid and trade policies and programs, the announcement by Prime Minister is not as generous as expected, and still falls well below the 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) amount required to meet the Millenium Development Goals.
Given the predicted rate of growth of the Australian economy in that time, the new level of aid approximates to 0.37% of GNI. Whilst this represents a welcome and significant increase from the present 0.28% it still falls far short of what is required and leaves Australia in 18th place out of the 22 most wealthy countries on the aid donor table.
The purpose of the Millenium Plus Five Summit was to evaluate progress towards the implementation of the Millenium Development Goals. The most recent UN progress report on that progress can be viewed here
Following weeks of intense negotiations and numerous draft texts, the UN General Assembly approved a final outcome document for the Millennium+5 Summit. Heads of State who gathered at UN headquarters for the summit approved the text. However reaction to the final agreed document was mixed - a few were pleased with the text, while many others felt that priority issues had become diluted to the point of meaninglessness.
The statement issued by the summit and other background information about the Millenium Plus Five Summit can be viewed at the Global Policy Forum Website
Whilst the move has been welcomed as a positive step it still does not go far enough. According to AID/WATCH a not for profit, activist organization monitoring and campaigning on Australian overseas aid and trade policies and programs, the announcement by Prime Minister is not as generous as expected, and still falls well below the 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) amount required to meet the Millenium Development Goals.
Given the predicted rate of growth of the Australian economy in that time, the new level of aid approximates to 0.37% of GNI. Whilst this represents a welcome and significant increase from the present 0.28% it still falls far short of what is required and leaves Australia in 18th place out of the 22 most wealthy countries on the aid donor table.
The purpose of the Millenium Plus Five Summit was to evaluate progress towards the implementation of the Millenium Development Goals. The most recent UN progress report on that progress can be viewed here
Following weeks of intense negotiations and numerous draft texts, the UN General Assembly approved a final outcome document for the Millennium+5 Summit. Heads of State who gathered at UN headquarters for the summit approved the text. However reaction to the final agreed document was mixed - a few were pleased with the text, while many others felt that priority issues had become diluted to the point of meaninglessness.
The statement issued by the summit and other background information about the Millenium Plus Five Summit can be viewed at the Global Policy Forum Website
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