Filed under UN

The Millennium Development Goals recently received a major boost from the international community. On 22nd September, speeches of support for the MDGs flowed from all corners of the United Nations, and the international community pledged $40bn to help achieve the goals by 2015. The Guardian reports,

Not only donor countries but also developing nations promised to spend more on the poorest people in their societies. Tanzania promised to increase health spending from 12% to 15% of the national budget by 2015 and increase the numbers of health workers it trains and employs. Rwanda’s president, Paul Kagame, who has played a prominent role in the summit and was warmly praised a few days ago by Ban as a “stellar leader”, pledged to spend 15% of the budget on health by 2012. His country has already brought maternal mortality down from 1,071 to 383 per 100,000 births between 2000 and 2008.

Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, announced a new alliance on maternal health between USAID, the UK, Australia and the Gates Foundation, which will focus on the dearth of family planning in developing countries. Norway, Australia and France were among those promising substantial new money. Pledges also came from aid organisations, philanthropic foundations and businesses.

Nick Clegg was keen to show leadership. He said, “My message to you today, from the UK government, is this: we will keep our promises and we expect the rest of the international community to do the same.” The Guardian also reports that Clegg

committed the UK to double the number of women’s and children’s lives saved by reorienting Britain’s aid programme to put their needs at its core – in addition to new funding for malaria

See here for the full Guardian article.

In January, residents of Southern Sudan will vote in a referendum to decide whether to secede from the North. It is expected the country will, as a result, split in two, leading thousands to migrate back ‘home’ to the South:

“A lot of people came just before the census, more came just before the elections,” said Matthew Abujin, Southern Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (SSRRC) secretary in charge of Central Equatoria. “With the referendum, we are expecting a very big number. Nobody wants to stay on the wrong side of the border.” 

However, the region has recently suffered drought, violence and instability and the UN’s World Food Program, who were hoping to reduce aid to the region, now expect serious food shortages, and an increased need for food aid.

Source: IRIN. See here for the full IRIN report.