Proposals to change strategy to make up delays and
shortfalls and even taxes on plane tickets, the Internet, mobile phones and
financial transactions are all to be discussed at the Millennium Development
Goals, MDG, summit at the UN headquarters in New York City.
The 140 heads of state and government were joined by
leaders from the private sector, foundations and civil society to make a formal
declaration on the importance of the goals -- which also aim to reach universal
primary education, halt the spread of AIDS and take major steps to empower
women.
But the main summit document says that the financial
crisis has increased inequality and vulnerability in the world and hit the
progress that was made after the 2000 Millennium summit.
Even worse, with only five years left until the goals'
target date, and the global economic crisis has badly hit funding.
Recent reports show that the world's poorest countries,
especially in sub-Saharan Africa, have made little headway in eradicating
poverty. Africa, Asia and Latin America have seen a lack of progress in
reducing mother and child deaths, boosting access to basic sanitation, and promoting
women's equality.
Also, the eight key goals -- which include cutting the
number of people in extreme poverty by half and the number of children who die
before reaching five by two thirds - far behind schedule, tens of billions of
dollars will be needed to pay for their goals.
The outlook is sobering. Although the European Union has announced one billion
dollars of MDG money and the World Bank $750 million dollars for education on
Monday, it still leaves more than 120 billion dollars to be found over the next
five years.
With his own economic crisis at home, President Barack
Obama is not expected to make any significant new offer on his trip to New
York, according to US officials who predict no country will dig deep into its
pockets.
The most anticipated part of the 3-day summit is a key
seminar Tuesday on "Innovative Financing" organized Japan, France and
Belgium.
France has become the pioneer in the field - becoming the
first to impose a solidarity tax on plane tickets.
But the US and other free market nations are wary of
imposing new surcharges on their tax-weary populations, according to diplomats.
So the UN is counting on help from big business, with
Bill Gates-style philanthropies and charities to help out the governments.
Here, from UN figures, is the status of progress on some
specific goals:
Overall the world is on track to halve the numbers of
people in extreme poverty, though some critics say it's mainly because of
tremendous improvements in China and India. The proportion living on less than
$1 a day in developing countries fell from 46 percent in 1990 to 27 percent in
2005 and should reach the target despite the economic crisis. But even so, the
UN said, about 920 million people will still be living on less than $1.25 a day
in 2015.
Reducing maternal mortality by three-quarters and child
mortality by two-thirds has lagged. The World Health Organization said there
has been a 34 percent decline to 358,000 deaths in 2008, less than half the
goal set in 2000. The UN said this
was because so much effort has gone into eradicating poverty and disease.
The goal of
halting and reversing the AIDS epidemic is unlikely to be met. Despite signs that the epidemic has
stabilized in most countries, the disease is spreading fast in Russia, Ukraine
and some countries in Central Asia - and UNAIDS estimates that only 40 percent
of people who have HIV are aware of it.
