HC Deb 24 July 2000 vol 354 cc445-6W
Dr. Tonge

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the recent Oxfam report, "Missing the Target: the price of empty promises"; and if she will make a statement. [128715]

Clare Short

The UK Government have taken the lead in seeking to mobilise the international development system including development NGOs to focus on the achievement of the 2015 targets. We have always made clear that the 2015 targets are extremely challenging, but very substantial progress has been made and more is possible. Some targets are nearer to achievement than others. It is also possible that some of the targets will be achieved overall but not achieved in some countries. The purpose of the targets is to seek to galvanise a greater effort in each country and by all parties.

At last year's Summit in Cologne, the G8 called for an annual poverty report from the international financial institutions as a means of focusing the international effort toward the targets. The first report has been prepared for this year's Summit in Okinawa. The report draws attention to the concerted and sustained commitment that will be needed if the 2015 targets are to be met. However its conclusion is that achieving the targets is still possible overall, though it will be more difficult in some parts of the world than in others. The report proposes a comprehensive range of measures for dealing with this: these include improving the global environment faced by developing countries; increasing aid flows and improving the effectiveness of aid; accelerating the implementation of the enhanced heavily indebted poor countries initiative; harnessing new information and communication technologies for increased productivity and economic growth; and working to reduce conflict.

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