The great millennium challenge

Date: 14/07/05

Two MEPs discuss ways to reach ambitious development targets set by the United NationsGovernments must create the political will to ensure the Millennium Development Goals are attained, says Glenys Kinnock

The Mllennium Declaration in 2000 forged a unique compact between North and South. For the first time, we have a genuine consensus that poverty is the whole world's problem. Business as usual is no longer an option and would carry a high price in lost lives and lost human potential.

Already 2005 has been a memorable year. Just in the last few weeks we have come a long way. EU ministers have agreed to meet a spending target of 0.7% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2015 - a target which has been standing since 1970. By 2010, aid from Europe is to be doubled - bringing an extra €40 billion. On debt relief, finance ministers from the G8 [Group of Eight] industrialised countries have reached an agreement that will immediately help 18 countries, saving them around €1.5 billion a year in debt repayments. If and when implemented, these commitments will make a tremendous contribution towards achieving progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Yet, this is no time for complacency. Gleneagles is just the beginning. We must maintain the momentum at the UN High Level Event on the MDGs in New York in September, throughout the UK Presidency of the EU, at the WTO Ministerial in Hong Kong and beyond.

This series of events will be a true test of the willingness of world leaders to act. Tackling poverty requires determination. There is no silver bullet, no vaccine and no miracle cure. The Millennium Development Goals are not a technical matter which will be resolved simply by cancelling debt and providing more money. While the progress achieved so far is welcome, it is by no means sufficient.

If we are to achieve real progress, developing countries will not only need more aid, they will need more effective aid. A recent ActionAid Report said that two-thirds of donor money is 'phantom' aid that it is not genuinely available for poverty reduction. The European Union has already made a commitment to untying all its aid, but it is our duty as donors to ensure that the aid we give really does make an effective contribution to the fight against poverty.

Developing countries also need to be able to trade. A 1% increase in Africa's share of global trade would deliver seven times more income every year than this continent currently receives in aid. Africa's share of global trade is falling.

Agriculture is the only way most Africans can make a living and they cannot compete with subsidised products dumped onto their markets.

But the story does not end there. Developing countries need to build capacity, with proper infrastructure and an educated workforce. They must stave off the threats of conflict and corruption. The Commission for Africa sets out a series of measures on how corruption can be combated, by both African and Western governments. Aid can be used to insist African governments create budgetary processes that are more open to scrutiny. It can be given to strengthen Africa's parliaments, media, judges and lobby-groups so that they can hold their governments to account.

Zimbabwe has served to underline the desperate importance of good governance for development. Once a successful economy, which exported food to other African countries and was in a position to assist its weaker neighbours in overcoming their difficulties, Zimbabwe has been transformed into a failed state.

Only a package which includes all these elements will enable us to reach our targets for the MDGs by 2015. We cannot afford any delay.

We must make the MDGs our development manifesto. Alliances should be established between governments, civil society, women's organisations, churches, environmentalists, teachers, trade unions, community groups, and elected politicians, especially parliamentarians. In order to globalise social justice, we must hold all of our governments to account in order to create the political will, which is essential for the successful realisation of the promise offered by the MDGs.

• UK Socialist MEP Glenys Kinnock is a member of the Parliament's development committee and chairs the Parliament's joint assembly with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.

The Millennium Development Goals are at risk in many regions because of ecosystem degradation, says Anders WijkmanIn the early 1980s I travelled in India with my close friend Anil Agarwal. Anil was a social and environmental activist who devoted his life to trying to raise awareness about the vicious circle of poverty and environmental degradation.

"You know," he said, "the rural poor in India are more reliant on the gross biomass product than on gross domestic product. For them healthy forests, soils and marine resources as well as access to water mean all the difference."

Hundreds of millions of people in developing countries live off the land.

Productivity is generally low because of poor soils, erratic rainfall, limited access to credit and technology and so on. Such problems are being made worse in many regions by population growth and by deforestation and soil erosion.

Although the sound management of forests, soils and water are of such critical importance to the rural poor, this problem is given scant attention in most poverty reduction strategies. When looking at EU country strategy papers, for instance, it is striking how seldom environmental and natural resources issues are brought to the fore. The picture is very much the same for most of the bilateral donors.

The overall situation is alarming. In the past fifty years it is estimated that the world has lost 25% of its topsoil and a third of its forest cover. We are losing freshwater ecosystems at the rate of 6% a year and marine eco-systems by 4% a year. Most of the destruction of the natural systems takes place in developing countries. Global warming is, no doubt, going to aggravate the situation.

The failure so far to give primary importance to the life-supporting systems constitutes a real threat to achieving the MDGs. In a recent scientific report - the millennium assessment - it is clearly stated that the MDGs are at risk in many regions because of ecosystem degradation. "The way society has sourced its food, fresh water, timber, fibre and fuel over the past 50 years has seriously degraded the environment," the assessment states. "The current state of affairs is likely to be a road block to the Millennium Development Goals."

What could then be done? First and foremost, we need to enhance understanding among governments as well as development agencies about the critical role played by ecosystems. Secondly, we will have to embark on significant investments in natural capital, i.e. reforestation schemes, soil conservation, marine protection and water management schemes. Thirdly, we have to reconsider some of the trade patterns in today's world. Import of illegally logged timber is one reason behind rapid deforestation in many parts of the world. Import of cheap soy and beef from countries like Brazil - produced on land that used to be virgin rainforest - is another.

The winner of this year's Stockholm Water Prize is the Indian organisation, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), which was founded by Anil Agarwal. CSE has demonstrated the importance of sound water management, not least rainwater harvesting. Even in regions with very limited rainfall, good harvests can be achieved provided water resources are well-managed.

Another important finding of CSE is that environment problems can not be seen through the single lens of conservation. The real challenge is and will be sustainable use. As populations grow and economies grow, the pressures on ecosystems will continue to grow. Only by clever interventions - aiming at strengthening the natural resources base and involving local communities in the management of these resources - can we prevent these pressures leading to further degradation of forests, soils and marine resources.

The link to the poverty reduction agenda and the MDGs is obvious. I sincerely hope that the Millennium Summit will pay enough attention to these important - and hitherto mostly neglected - aspects of development. I also hope that the review of the EU Development Policy Statement will present an opportunity to put natural resources management at the core of development policy in the future.

• Swedish centre-right MEP Anders Wijkman is a member of the Parliament's environment, public health and food safety committee.

Two MEPs discuss ways to reach ambitious development targets set by the United Nations.