New York, December 4, 2008 –The United Nations Millennium Campaign welcomes the strong reaffirmation of support for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the recognition of the key linkage between MDGs and climate change, and the full endorsement of the Monterrey Consensus contained in the outcome document of the Financing for Development Conference in Doha last weekend. But the Campaign stresses that without urgent and specific plans, timelines and actions for the implementation of these agreements at the national level in each country, the conference will ultimately deliver very little for the world’s poorest.

“The outcomes of the Doha conference are promising in that all the pillars of the Millennium Development Goals – honoring existing aid commitments, resolving the deadlock in the global WTO trade negotiations, enhancing gender equality and domestic resource mobilization, and addressing the future international financial architecture within the framework of the United Nations – have been included,” said Salil Shetty, Director of the UN Millennium Campaign. “This is of course all good news, particularly in the context of the current financial crisis. But the outcome document is weak on specifics for implementation of these agreements and the accountability mechanisms that are needed.”

The Doha conference failed to outline clear timelines from donor countries for putting in place trade rules which allow genuine market access for poor countries and ending trade-distorting agricultural subsidies, nor did it offer any specific solutions to alleviate the impact of the deepening financial crisis on the poor. The Millennium Campaign has called for a special bailout package of $300 billion in additional financing for poor nations over the next two years to help them weather the financial crisis; discussions on a bailout were never tabled at the conference.

For poor country governments, beyond the broad statements of intent, Doha was a missed opportunity to specify concrete targets for domestic resource mobilisation and their allocation to achieve the MDGs and the needs of their poorest citizens. Given that domestic resource mobilization is the only sustainable long-term option for financing development, the failure of poor country governments to agree on specific measures in Doha is disappointing.

“Ultimately, the Doha Conference will be judged not by the words that were delivered in outcome documents,” says Shetty, “but rather by what actions both rich and poor country governments deliver when they get home. We are well into the final leg towards the 2015 deadline to achieve the MDGs and with the worsening global financial situation as an added challenge to meeting this deadline, we must stay focused and keep the pressure on our leaders to get beyond the rhetoric delivered at international conferences like this one and to follow words with urgent and concrete action.”

Over 116 million people participated in “Stand Up and Take Action” on October 17-19, 2008 and committed themselves to holding their governments accountable for their MDG promises. People’s organisations and civil society campaigners will continue to monitor the commitments made at recent international gatherings including Doha.

To arrange interviews with Millennium Campaign spokespeople or for more information contact:
Kara Alaimo
212-906-6399
Kara.Alaimo@undp.org

Note to editors:
The UN Millennium Campaign was established by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in 2002. The Campaign supports citizens’ efforts to hold their governments to account for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. The Millennium Development Goals were adopted by 189 world leaders from the north and south, as part of the Millennium Declaration which was signed in 2000. These leaders agreed to achieve the Goals by 2015. Our premise is simple: we are the first generation that can end poverty and we refuse to miss this opportunity. For more information, visit www.endpoverty2015.org.