A Global Partnership for Development

MDG8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development

• Target: Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system
• Target: Address the special needs of least developed countries
• Target: Address the special needs of landlocked developing countries and small island developing States
• Target: Deal comprehensively with the debt problems of developing countries
• Target: In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable essential drugs in developing countries
• Target: In cooperation with the private sector, make available benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications

The eighth MDG is fairly different from the others, as it aims to encourage the world into a partnership to help provide more aid and support to developing regions. Its success or failure will impact all of the others.

In 2000 there was just under $60 billion official development assistance contributed from developed nations. This number rose to $120 billion in 2011. However, recently there have been shortcomings as many nations have failed to follow through with their commitments, and the economic crisis lowered expected levels of gross national income. In 2010 official development assistance to least developed countries (LDCs) rose to 0.11 percent of donors’ Gross National Income, nearing the UN’s target of 0.15 percent. Furthermore, while recovery from the economic crisis was better for developing regions than developed regions, progress was still limited.

Another trend that feeds into this goal is the increase in communications technology in developing regions. Almost two-thirds of Internet users are located in developing countries; however, actual use of the Internet is low. While at the end of 2011 Internet use had risen to 26 percent in developing regions, in sub-Saharan Africa it remained below 15 percent. A digital divide remains worldwide, as quality and efficiency of technology is generally poor in developing regions.

With all the complexities of MDG8, the world has not met the targets set up by the UN in 2000 and likely will not by 2015. Most donor countries’ overall level of aid (to all countries, not just LDCs) is well below the UN’s goal of 0.7 percent of gross national income, with only Denmark, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway and Sweden having met the target. Africa is only set to receive $11 billion out of the $25 billion it was promised when the G8 met at Gleneagles in 2005.

Nina Mansour is an intern at InterAction.

In the year 2000, after a decade of conferences and summits, the UN created the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – a series of eight goals with concrete targets to achieve by 2015. With just three years until December 31, 2015, the world is beginning to evaluate how close we are to achieving the MDGs and to look forward. This eight-part blog series highlights some of the successes and challenges as we close out 2012.

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