Christian Aid welcomes the Prime Minister’s public commitment to combat what he calls the ‘emergency’ of global poverty.
Speaking at the United Nations after meeting the Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the prime minister said the millennium development goals (MDGs) were a million miles from being met.
‘Mr Brown’s words should serve as a timely reminder to the political elite worldwide that we are at almost precisely the halfway point between the poverty goals being set at the UN’s Millennium summit in 2000 and the day of reckoning in 2015,’ said Andrew Pendleton, Christian Aid’s policy specialist.
‘We welcome Mr Brown’s focus on the issue and his warnings of the grim prospects of failure. But words must be matched by action. At the G8 summit this year, many of his counterparts appeared to row back on previously made promises to increase aid to Africa, the worst performing region in the MDG league table.
‘To the world’s poorest, the message is clear. The philanthropy of rich nations is at best unreliable. So the focus of his emergency conference should not only be about getting his peers to fulfil past promises, but also about some of the major structural changes that are needed,’ added Mr Pendleton.
‘Trade rules need to be made fairer, and rich countries are still offering next to nothing by way of concessions at the World Trade Organisation. Also, countries need to set better investment rules so they benefit more from foreign capital.
‘Finally, the millennium development goals were agreed before the threat of climate change had been fully acknowledged. If drastic action is not taken soon to halt current trends, the world risks reversing previous work towards poverty eradication.’
Mr Brown also called for a UN resolution for a peace-keeping force in Sudan, which was later agreed.
Judith Melby, Christian Aid’s Africa specialist, welcomed plans for a resolution to authorise up to 26,000 troops and police for Sudan’s Darfur region.
‘But given the track record of United Nations and African Union force deployments; this is optimistic in the extreme. We would have liked see a greater sense of urgency in terms of implementing such a resolution,’ she added.
Above all, peace negotiations need to be put at the top of the agenda or the soldiers sent will have no peace to enforce.
Some serious commitment must be shown towards getting all warring parties around the negotiating table, said Ms Melby.
For further press information contact Sarah Wilson on 0207 523 2277 or 07930 341 525 or email swilson@christian-aid.org
Notes to editors
Andrew Pendleton and Judith Melby are available for interview