26/09/08

United Nations MDG Summit a reality check on greed, says CAFOD

World leaders meeting at Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Summit at the United Nations in New York this week, made new contributions and pledges to achieving global poverty targets.

Joanne Green, CAFOD's Head of Public Policy said: "Discussions at the MDG Summit signify a reality check on the greed which dominates the global economic system highlighted by the credit crunch, food and oil crisis.

"The current high food prices are expected to push as many as 100 million people into poverty. Meanwhile the profits of global agribusiness companies have soared.

This triple crunch has exposed the realities of a system which was already diseased - whilst economic growth in China and in India has brought many out of poverty, it has followed a western model that is environmentally unsustainable and does not reach the poorest, resulting in greater inequality for those in emerging economies and in African countries."

The UN meeting received an additional $16 billion in pledges. CAFOD's Joanne Green said: "New money is welcome but is limited unless we tackle the root causes of poverty. Aid plays an important role but it won't solve world poverty and the MDGs themselves are the absolute minimum we should achieve by 2015.

"CAFOD is heartened that at the Summit many governments sent signals about the need for change. The time is now ripe for this to be translated into multilateral action at the Doha Financing for Development Event and climate change meetings later this year and in international discussions about the regulation of the financial system.

Caritas Internationalis President, Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, delivered a speech at the Summit and urged leaders to go further on existing pledges and address the impact of climate change on the poor.

In his speech Cardinal Rodriguez spoke of the devastating effects that climate change is having on the world's poor who are least responsible for creating it.

Despite the last decade of unprecedented economic growth in developed countries and commitments to increase aid in 2005, aid has declined. It is the vulnerable that lose out. For example, gender equality, maternal and child mortality goals aim to improve the lives of the poorest and most marginalised people - women and children, will not be met.

"Now is the time to make a long overdue shift from pursuing the greed of the few to the well-being of the many", said Joanne Green.

For further information please contact Nana Anto-Awuakye on: 020 7095-5560 or mobile: 07799 477 541 or email: nanto-awuakye@cafod.org.uk

Nana Anto-Awuakye Senior Media Officer CAFOD Romero Close Stockwell Road London SW9 9TY