New hope in global plan to end extreme poverty - World Vision

Friday, May 31, 2013

A new global plan to end extreme poverty by 2030 is both bold and achievable, World Vision Australia chief executive Tim Costello said today.

Mr Costello’s comments follow this morning’s release of a report proposing new development targets to replace the Millennium Development Goals, which expire in 2015. The report was produced by a panel of 27 world leaders, and chaired by the Presidents of Indonesia and Liberia and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Presented to the UN Secretary-General, the report recommends the current eight MDGs and 21 targets be replaced by 12 goals and 54 targets covering poverty, hunger, jobs, protection of the environment and equality for women.

“These recommendations are the product of the most comprehensive global consultation ever carried out and are a great foundation for a new global agenda beyond 2015,” World Vision Australia chief executive Tim Costello said. “It is a bold report but it is also realistic.”

Since July last year civil society groups and governments in over 120 countries, representatives from 250 corporations, academic experts and hundreds of thousands of other individuals have participated in the consultations about a new set of global goals.

“This is not the end of this process, but the beginning,” Mr Costello said. “The recommendations in this report provide a great framework, but now we must ensure that the proposed goals are agreed and owned by all people – that means the poor and the rich, the young and the old, government and business. These goals will only have the strength they need if everyone is on board.”

Mr Costello said all of the proposed goals were achievable but they would take increased efforts by both developing and developed countries.

“As Bill Gates highlighted this week when he visited Australia, the world has made huge strides under the current Millennium Development Goal framework including a 40% reduction in child deaths since 1990,” said Mr Costello. “This report sets the framework to eradicate extreme poverty for good.”

Chief amongst the panel recommendations is the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, restricting global warming to 2C, equal legal rights for women and an end to violence against women by 2030. The most controversial absence from the report is any goal to reduce income inequality – a key issue in many countries.

Mr Costello also said it was critical the international community stayed focussed on achieving the current MDGs to ensure a good foundation to build from. This was particularly important for Australia, because the Prime Minister holds an influential position as co-chair of the UN MDGs Advocacy Group.

Media contact: Chloe Adams – 0427 413 816 / chloe.adams@worldvision.com.au

Poverty, Foreign Aid, Millennium Development Goals, Report, Tim Costello, United Nations

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