» 09/22/2012 11:35 UN UN fight against poverty: donations from rich countries down by 50 percent At least 16 key donor countries have reduced their contributions because of the global economic crisis. G8 countries have not kept their promises to Africa. Medicine and the internet still too expensive for poor countries.
New York City (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced that international aid
for developing countries
has fallen by over 50%. The reduction, the first in many years, undermines the program
to reduce poverty by 2015.
In a press conference held two days
ago, the UN Secretary presented a report on child poverty and
the so-called MDG (Millennium Development Goals), a
program launched in 2000 which provided
donations of 300 billion dollars to reduce poverty in many countries. In 2011, however donations
have only reached 133 billion, less than half. At least 16 key donor
countries have reduced their
contribution due to the global
economic crisis.
"To accomplish the MDGs - urged Ban
Ki-moon - we need greater global participation
... and not place the weight
of fiscal austerity on the shoulders of
the poor - at home or in other countries."
The tendency to give less has been a reality for some time. In
2005, the G8 countries had
decided to increase aid to Africa
by 25 billion per year by 2010, but that goal has
never been reached.
The UN Secretary General has pointed out that in developing countries basic medical drugs still costs too much, and only half of
the health institutions are able
to procure them. Even the Internet, especially in Africa, is still too expensive for
the poor.
