§ Mr. CatonTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has held with other Governments on financing the Millennium Development targets. [117970]
§ John HealeyThe UK Government continues to press the urgent case for an International Finance Facility to raise the additional finance needed to meet the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 in all relevant national and international fora and with both developed and developing country governments.
Support has been achieved through events such as the Chief Secretary's visit to Ethiopia, Ghana and South Africa earlier this month; an official level visit to Rwanda to address the eighth meeting of the HIPC Finance Ministers on the IFF; and a Treasury representation at the Annual Economic Commission for African Finance Ministers in Addis Ababa. At this meeting Ministers issued a Communique stating "we strongly welcome the proposed International Finance Facility as the first of its kind designed to mobilise additional resources for the poorest countries to meet the MDGs."
The Development Committee and the IMFC discussed the IFF at the Spring Meetings in April and the Development Committee will raise it again at the Annual Meetings. Agreement was made in the Communique of the last G7 Finance Ministerial meeting to continue to focus on the Millennium Development Goals, and their financing, including facilities. At the G8 Summit in Evian, Heads of State requested that Finance Ministers report back on the IFF in advance of the Annual Meeting of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in September 2003. The Treasury also continues to discuss the IFF in European meetings, including ECOFIN, at both Ministerial and official level.