§ 28. Tony CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her assessment is of the challenges faced by Africa in reaching the millennium development goals. [62496]
§ Clare ShortUnlike the rest of the world, on present trends Africa will not meet the MDGs and halve poverty by 2015
876Weconomic growth needs to be more than twice as high, at 7 per cent., to meet the income poverty target.20 per cent. of Africans are affected by conflict costing the continent 2 per cent. a year of growth on average.maternal mortality has got worse, not better, over the last decade. over 25 million Africans are living with HIV/AIDS (70 per cent. of the global total).as a result, life expectancy has fallen by up to 20 years in some countries.If this continues, it will be a tragedy for Africa's people and a threat to the future safety and stability of the world.
But this fate is not inevitable. Africa faces an enormous challenge in meeting the MDGs. But that challenge is not insurmountable. First, it requires that African nations commit to fundamental reform and a process of learning from one another. Second, it needs the developed world to alter the nature of its partnership with Africa, not just by increasing and improving aid but by tackling the whole range of policy constraints which affect Africa's development. NEPAD and the G8 can play a critical role in both.