ABIDJAN, Côte d’Ivoire, May 29, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — A new funding plan to deliver basic health and education for everyone is essential to end extreme poverty, according to The ONE Campaign’s DATA Report 2015: “Putting the Poorest First,” (http://www.one.org) which was launched today in Abidjan, in the margins of the African Development Bank Group Annual Meetings.
Download ‘DATA Report 2015 Executive Summary’: http://www.apo-mail.org/150529r.pdf
Download the flyer ‘From Abidjan to Addis – Event Flyer’: http://www.apo-mail.org/150529o.pdf
Photo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/photos/150529one.png
Logo ONE: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/one.jpg
If the new Global Goals that will be launched in September are to succeed, world leaders must make a concerted effort to target the poorest people and the poorest countries, or lives will be lost and years of development progress risks being undone.
A focus on girls and women is crucial, both to address the additional deprivation they face and because smart investments in women are more effective at lifting communities out of poverty.
ONE’s analysis shows that development partners are missing their targets, and financial support for the least developed countries (LDCs) continues to fall. Although LDCs are increasingly home to those who live on less than $1.25 a day, they received less than a third of aid (30.3%) in 2014. Had that share been increased to 50%, an additional $26.5 billion would have been available to those who need it most.
ONE is calling for better targeted development assistance to be coupled with increased domestic revenues from developing countries’ own governments to fund access to basic social services for everyone by 2020. With a $152 billion funding gap to meet these basic needs worldwide, including $34.5 billion in LDCs, July’s Financing for Development (FfD) conference in Addis Ababa will be a pivotal moment in securing ambitious commitments.
Investments in agriculture and energy are essential, along with action to clamp down on corruption, curb illicit financial flows and drive up transparency so citizens can follow the money from resources to results.
Dr Sipho S. Moyo, ONE’s Africa Executive Director, said:
“More than two-thirds of the least developed countries are in Africa; these countries bear a growing share of the world’s extreme poor. Decisions taken this year could be transformative for them and shape the course of history.
A resolute focus on the poorest and most marginalised, especially girls and women, is needed to ensure no one is left behind beyond 2015. In Addis Ababa in July, world leaders need to agree to a mutual accountability pact that will prioritise resources from all governments on meeting basic needs and providing essential services, while also increasing investments to boost inclusive growth.”
The DATA report sets out a five point plan for the world’s poorest to be agreed at the pivotal Financing for Development conference, which must include:
• access to basic services – minimum funding to ensure the basic needs of every person can be meet, including health and education, with a focus on girls and women
• increased domestic government revenues – developing countries should drive up revenue through implementing fair tax policies, curbing corruption and stemming illicit financial flows
• development assistance should be targeted where it is most needed, with 50% going to LDCs, and donors setting a timetable to reach the international target of spending 0.7% of GNI on development assistance
• sustainable inclusive growth – specific investment to drive up productivity, in particular agriculture, infrastructure, energy, trade and private finance
• strong accountability through a data revolution to ensure that commitments are followed through
ONE’s analysis shows a minimum level of spending of $500 per person per year, or 10% of GDP, is needed to deliver the scale of ambition needed to meet the Global Goals. For the 27 countries that currently spend less than $150 per person, ONE recommends an interim target of $300 per person. The total cost is $152 billion for the 66 countries worldwide that are below their targets; the cost for the 37 LDCs is $34.5 billion.
The largest source of funding for development comes from countries’ own resources. To provide basic services for their citizens, governments should increase domestic revenues towards ambitious, nationally-defined revenue to GDP targets. This can be achieved through implementing fair tax policies, curbing corruption and stemming illicit flows. By halving the revenue gap, domestic resources could be increased by $106.9 billion across 46 developing countries; $14.4 billion in the least developed countries.
Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of ONE.org.
Media contact:
Isabelle De Lichtervelde
isabelle.delichtervelde@one.org
Notes to editors
1. The full report is available at http://www.one.org/datareport
2. 43% of people living in Least Developed Countries live in extreme poverty, compared with 13% of the population in non-LDC developing countries. LDCs are projected to make up 50% of the global poverty burden by 2030.
3. ONE’s ‘Poverty is Sexist’ campaign is calling for women’s empowerment to be at the heart of the Global Goals. It has been backed by 36 of the world’s most powerful women, including Beyoncé, Meryl Streep, Lady Gaga, Angelique Kidjo and other leading women from the worlds of business, arts, politics and activism who have written an open letter to Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel and African Union Commission Chair Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who both host crucial summits in the coming weeks.
4. Top African women musicians have joined the Poverty is Sexist campaign with a brand new track, Strong Girl, released on May 13. Thousands of people from more than 100 countries have shown support by posting a #strengthie picture on social media.
5. Key international meetings where these issues will be discussed include the Europeans Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on 26 May; the G7 Summit, hosted by Germany in Schloss Elmau on 7 – 8 June; the African Union Summit in South Africa on 7 – 15 June; and the third Financing for Development Conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 13 – 16 July.
6. About ONE: ONE is a campaigning and advocacy organization of more than 6 million people taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. Not politically partisan, we raise public awareness and press political leaders to combat AIDS and preventable diseases, increase investments in agriculture and nutrition, and demand greater transparency in poverty-fighting programs. To learn more, go to ONE.org.
Did you find this information helpful? If you did, consider donating.