JUST ONE MORE CUP OF COFFEE

By Kumi Naidoo Reprint | | Print |

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LONDON, Jul 1 2005 (IPS) - As the campaign against global poverty gathers steam in the run-up to the G-8 summit, the pressure on leaders is mounting to increase the measly amounts they currently give in aid to the poorest countries, writes Kumi Naidoo, Chair of the Global Call to Action against Poverty. Along with cancelling debt and reforming unfair trade rules, an immediate increase of USD 50 billion in aid from the richest countries is a pivotal demand of campaigners worldwide, the author writes in this article. Ending global poverty, the kind of poverty that kills one child every three seconds, is not a distant dream but a practical, achievable objective, an economic essential, and a moral imperative. The eight men that will meet July 6-8 in Gleneagles know that by making a small change to the policies of the richest countries in the world, they can play their part in halting the 50,000 deaths from poverty every day. Millions of people in the world\’s largest anti-poverty campaign, The Global Call to Action against Poverty, are demanding pro-poor policies from governments that are transparent and accountable to citizens. They are all calling for justice, not charity and marching on their capitals, all wearing white bands, they are a visible demonstration of the power of people to unite, across borders, around a simple ask: take action to stop poverty.

As the campaign against global poverty gathers steam in the run-up to the G-8 summit, the pressure on leaders is mounting to increase the measly amounts they currently give in aid to the poorest countries. Along with cancelling debt and reforming unfair trade rules, an immediate increase of USD 50 billion in aid from the richest countries is a pivotal demand of campaigners worldwide.

July 1 the White Band Week has started — the week when millions of ordinary people around the world, from Georgia to Germany, Nepal to Nicaragua, stand united by wearing a white band, the symbol of the Global Call to Action against Poverty, and ask for action on poverty.

Ending global poverty, which kills one child every three seconds, is not a distant dream but a practical, achievable objective, an economic essential, and a moral imperative. The eight men that will meet July 6-8 in Gleneagles know that by making a small change to the policies of the richest countries in the world, they can play their part in halting the 50,000 deaths from poverty that occur every day.

Today the G-8 countries have never been richer and yet never given less. G-8 governments give half as much now as they did in 1960 — USD 80 billion, the equivalent of cup of coffee per week in aid per citizen to the developing world. In comparison to the USD 1 trillion the world spends on defence each year, the GCAP demand the G-8 leaders to increase aid annually by USD 50 billion is just small change — the cost of just one more cappuccino per week for each G-8 citizen.

Campaigners’ demands for the G-8 to reach 0.7 percent of national income in aid are based on a 35-year-old commitment made by the G-8 countries themselves.

And we know that this extra aid will work. Millions of children are now in school in Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi and Zambia, thanks to money provided by debt relief and aid. For the same reason, Ugandans no longer have to pay for basic health care, a policy which resulted in a 50-to-100 percent increase in attendance at Ugandan health clinics and doubled the rate of immunisations. These people are living proof that aid can and does give people the opportunity to progress out of poverty.

Of course there’s a long way to go. Hit by years of poverty and HIV/AIDS, education and health systems in poor countries are stretched to the limits. And as long as governments are forced to spend more on debt repayments than they receive in aid, there is little hope for true development.

The announcement by G-8 finance ministers in June of cancellation of the debt owed by 18 countries was a step in the right direction, but it is still just a drop in the ocean. Much more political will is needed — like that seen when Iraq’s USD 30 billion debt was written off in a single day. Forty-four other countries needing debt relief to achieve their anti-poverty targets, including Sri Lanka, Haiti, and Vietnam, have been left out of this deal, and the debt mountain for these countries will only continue to grow.

Some critics of development finance blame the continuance of world poverty on corruption. It is true that if we are to make poverty history then corruption has to be tackled, whether in rich or poor countries, governments, international institutions, or businesses. It is ultimately the people of developing countries who are best placed to hold their governments to account on corruption. And, often supported by aid, they are already doing so. A growing and strengthening civil society across the developing world is now demanding that the aid and debt relief received by their governments is applied where it can make the maximum possible difference to the poorest people’s lives.

Millions of people in the world’s largest anti-poverty campaign are demanding pro-poor policies from governments that are transparent and accountable to citizens. Spread across national platforms in 72 countries, the majority of the 150 million people involved in the GCAP campaign are from the developing world. They are calling on governments to be more effective in the delivery of basic services and development, and to meet the Millennium (minimalist) Development Goals. They are also strongly calling for significant progress towards full gender equality, recognising that women and children carry the biggest burden of poverty.

It is time for the tired ”basket case” stereotype of the developing world to be dispensed with once and for all. As this campaign shows, citizens from all around the world have united in their demands to world leaders to double aid and ensure accountable and transparent anti-poverty policies. They are all calling for justice, not charity and marching on their capitals. All wearing white bands, they are a visible demonstration of the power of people to unite, across borders, around a simple ask: take action to stop poverty. (END/COPYRIGHT IPS)