The G8, G20, and Millennium Development Goals
Overview of the Millennium Development Goals
In 2000 the Millennium Summit was held at the United Nations headquarters in New York City to address the need to assist the developing nations more aggressively. All 192 UN member states adopted the United Nations Millennium Declaration put forth at the summit, which outlined 8 specific development goals and set 2015 as the target date for their achievement. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGS) are:
2005 Gleneagles Summit
In 2005 the G8 (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, The U.K. and the U.S.) held another development summit and agreed on a series of collective promises to scale up aid, which was a breakthrough in development assistance to Africa and included specific and measurable and specific targets. Targets included increasing aid by around $50 billion a year by 2010, with at least $25 bilion going to Africa, as well as pledges of additional investments in education and the fight against HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and other killer diseases.
At Gleneagles, the G8 discussed scaling up anti-malaria initiatives by reaching 85% of the vulnerable populations with the key interventions that will save 600,000 children's lives a year by 2015. Specifically, the report stated: "By contributing to the additional $1.5bn a year needed annually to help ensure access to anti-malaria insecticide-treatd mosquito nets, adequate and sustainable supplies of ACTs, presumptive treatment for pregnant women and babies, household residual spraying and the capacity of African health services to effectively use them, we can reduce the burden of malaria as a major killer of children in sub-Saharan Africa."
The vision laid out by African leaders and the G8 in 2005 is still unrealized, but the story of the past five years is one of progress. As the world looks beyond 2010, it is critical that unfulfilled promises be delivered and that the successes and shortcomings of Gleneagles help to inform a stronger partnership to help Africa meet the MDGs by 2015. The world has exceeded the Gleneagles goal of delivering 100 million bed-nets, with 200 million delivered between 2006 and 2009. More funding than ever is being put towards Africa and malaria specifically, but more is needed to reach the MDG goals and the promises made at Gleneagles
Five sites in Africa were chosen as Millennium Village Projects: in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and two in Malawi. In these Millennium Villages:
- Bed net use increased by 7 times
- Malaria rate was lowered from 1 in 4 persons to 1 in 10
- Maize yeild increased by 3 times
- Access to clean drinking water rose from 20% to 70%
- Access to basic sanitation rose from 6% to 42%
- All of this cost $120 per person in each village
June 2010 G8 and G20 Summits in Canada
From June 22-25, G8 and G20 leaders met in Canada and released the Muskoka Declaration and Muskoka Accountability Report, reaffirming previous commitments made towards development. The year 2010 marked the two-thirds point between adoption of the Millennium Development Goals and their target date of 2015. The Muskoka Declaration states: "To achieve the MDGs the effort needs to be truly global, encompassing a comprehensive, whole-of-country approach, including actions not only from all governments, but also from the private sector, foundations, non-governmental organizations and civil society, as well as international organizations, focusing more on the protection and empowerment of individuals and communities to improve human security." These conferences were held in anticipation of the upcoming 2010 MDG Summit in September to agree on a concrete plan of action to accelerate progress towards meeting these eight goals, which will take place in New York.
