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Press Release 18 March, 0:00 am (Mexican time)
Eyes of the Poor are on Monterrey - Governments,
don’t be blind
European NGOs: Global
Development Conference must seize opportunities to tackle insane debt
situation in developing countries
As a week-long global development conference opens today in Monterrey,
Mexico, European NGOs see little chances that world leaders are prepared
to go beyond an already decided outcome paper, widely critizised by
civil society groups as well as governments and institutions for failing
to address the crucial questions of poverty eradication and development
financing. Hopes concentrate on the possibilities to further develop the
few positive elements in the consensus paper. This regards in particular
tackling the debt problem, which for many developing countries is at the
root of continuous social and economic degradation.
“In the Monterrey Consensus governments admit between the lines that
the present debt relief programs are inadequate and that future programs
should be based on giving indebted countries the chance to finance the
Millennium Development Goals. We say, the future is now. Poor countries
should repay debt only with what is left after they have financed the
Millennium Goals”, says Martina Neuwirth of Jubilee Austria.
In the Millennium Goals decided in the Millennium Summit in September
2000 governments commit, among others, to the halving of the number of
the world’s poor, the cutting of child mortality by two thirds and
universal primary education by 2015. According to the World Bank
statistics, indebted countries in sub-saharan Africa in 2000 spent three
times as much in debt repayment than for health programs. On aggregate,
developing countries in 2000 spent 370 Bn USD in debt repayment. That is
seven times the amount of official development assistance received in
the same year.
With the possibility of financial collapse in Argentina overshadowing
the Monterrey conference, European NGOs welcome that the outcome paper
acknowledges the need for new mechanisms to resolve debt problems before
they become unmanagable and demand for more decisive conference
commitments to enable indebted countries to use such mechanisms.
“Argentina desperately needs a real solution to its external debt
problem. The people there cannot keep paying and waiting with no hope”,
says Jaime Atienza of Caritas, Spain, “We demand a neutral debt
resolving arbitration that guarantees that the private sector,
governments and international institutions share the losses, as they
shared in the past the benefits.”
European NGOs present in Monterrey will closely monitor the EU
presidency’s stance on debt issues during the Conference. “Hopes in
the Monterrey Conference have been alluded so far”, says Martin
Koehler of the Campaign to Reform the World Bank, Italy, “if the rich
governments don’t show more openness here to enable poor countries to
realize the Millennium Goals, then they program for failure of the
upcoming Johannesburg Summit on Sustainable Development. We will hold
them responsible.”
Further information: Mr.
Martin Koehler, Tel from Monterrey 04481 80988160, Tel from Europe +5281
80988160, Mkoehler@crbm.org
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