Poor grade for rich nations
    Watchdog group says wealthiest countries falling well short of assistance goals
    By RACHELLE NUYTTEN, CALGARY SUN
    June 25, 2002

    ActionAid gave G-8 nations a failing grade yesterday for falling behind on Millennium Development Goals to reduce child mortality rates and the impact of deadly diseases.

    But representatives of the British development agency, in Calgary for the G-8, are giving leaders one last chance.

    They will re-evaluate the G-8 countries' dedication to the goals following the summit this week.

    "Unless something drastic happens in the next six to eight years, they won't be able to meet their millennium goals," said Amboka Wameyo, African policy officer for ActionAid.

    "World leaders have said they would contribute $10 billion and they have only contributed $2 billion so far."

    Wameyo will be satisfied if G-8 nations double aid in three years, open their market to trade from low-income countries, commit an extra $4 billion toward basic education for all people and double support to the global fund for fighting HIV/AIDS.

    But Wameyo isn't hopefully any of this will happen.

    "It will be more of a political game rather than consideration of the issues," Wameyo said about the summit.

    The Millennium Development Goals -- adopted by the G-8 in 2000 -- included the promise to eradicate extreme hunger and poverty, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality and empower women, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensure environmental sustainability and develop a global partnership for development by 2015.

    The most wealthy nations in the world earned two Fs on the report card because ActionAid considers their effort to eliminate HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis disappointing and the reality of 12 million children under five dying each year to be appalling.

    The report gave G-8 countries a D in poverty, a C for gender, a D for maternal health, an E for environment and a C for education.

    "If we go at the present rate, then we will still have 75 million children out of school by 2015 -- that is mostly girls," Wameyo said.

    "We know that when people are better educated, then they seek better knowledge on how to look after their lives."


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