Bridges Weekly Trade News Digest • Volume 9 • Number 31 • 21st September 2005
UN Summit Makes Little Progress On MDGs
Described as more significant for what it failed to achieve than for what it accomplished, the security-dominated 14-16 September UN World Summit in New York was notable for its lack of progress on development issues.
The 2005 gathering brought together an unprecedented 151 out of a possible 191 heads ofstate. Though its adoption of a resolution on terrorism was met with general approval among members and observers alike, the meeting made little headway on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) — a set of eight goals to be met by 2015 that range from poverty and hunger reduction to improvements in basic public health, access to sanitation and water, and environmental sustainability.
Lack of progress on MDGs criticised
As General Assembly President Jan Eliasson thumped his gavel to mark the adoption of the summit’s final document, he declared that the result reaffirmed "our commitment to achieving the Millennium Goals by the year 2015." However, Eliasson’s optimism was not universal. Indeed, while a review of the MDGs had been the original intended goal of the World Summit, many criticised the meeting for its lack of progress on the issue. "A few years ago, developed countries made some promises; but since then, very few concrete actions were implemented," said Prime Minister Hama Amadou of Niger, one of the world’s poorest nations. Moreover, some believe that the lack of progress towards the MDGs since their establishment in 2000 has already put some of them out of reach.
Terrorism dominates agenda; Bush links security to trade
Security issues trumped development concerns to take centre stage at the summit. The General Assembly and Security Council adopted resolutions strongly condemning terrorist acts and incitement. British Prime Minister Tony Blair underscored the need to strengthen "the democratic way" to effectively combat terrorism. Meanwhile, some civil society commentators have criticised the resolution for lacking a clear definition of terrorism.
In his speech to the assembled world leaders, US President George W. Bush echoed some of Blair’s sentiments, and drew links between terrorism, development and international trade. Stressing that trade liberalisation would help to alleviate poverty which, he asserts, is a catalyst for terrorism, Bush called on world leaders to abolish all trade tariffs and subsidies as a means to combat poverty.
"We must work together in the Doha [Round of WTO] negotiations to eliminate agricultural subsidies that distort trade and stunt development, and to eliminate tariffs and other barriers to open markets for farmers around the world," said Bush in an apparent reference to EU farm subsidies. "The United States is ready to eliminate all tariffs and subsidies and other barriers to the free flow of goods and services as other nations do the same."
Bush also reiterated the US’ commitment to the WTO’s December Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong. "Under Doha," he continued, "every nation will gain and the developing world stands to gain the most. Historically, developing nations that open themselves up to trade grow at several times the rate of other countries."
Agricultural subsidies in the developed world were recently highlighted by the UN Development Programme’s 2005 Human Development Report (HDR) as a significant obstacle to development in the South (see BRIDGES Weekly, 14 September 2005).
UN process supported by US, condemned by Venezuela
Bush surprised many at the summit by stressing his support for a "strong United Nations," despite his administration’s recent history of unilateral action in defiance of the UN. In contrast, criticism of the UN process emerged from countries such as Venezuela and Cuba, which expressed outrage over their alleged exclusion from the negotiations on the resolution adopted at the summit’s end.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan expressed satisfaction with the resolutions on terrorism and the protection of civilians from acts of genocide. However, he was unmistakably disappointed with summit’s overall results, particularly on institutional reform and nuclear non-proliferation. "Let us be frank with each other and the peoples of the United Nations," he said. "We have not yet achieved the sweeping and fundamental reform that I and many others believe is required."
Despite his frustration at the lack of progress at the UN Summit, Annan is continuing to pursue other avenues for the advancement of the MDGs, some of which echo Bush’s call for freer trade. This was most recently seen in a new ‘Report of the Secretary-General’ in collaboration with UNCTAD which calls on the WTO to promote trade liberalisation in goods and services from developing countries in order to help achieve the MDGs.
A full copy of the 2005 World Summit Final Report is available online: http://www.un.org/summit2005/documents.html.
A full copy of the UN International Trade and Development Report of the Secretary General is also available online: http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N05/459/93/PDF/N0545993.pdf?OpenElement.
"UN Summit Falls Short of Changes Necessary to Fight Poverty, Terrorism," THE FINANCIAL EXPRESS, 18 September 2005; "Bush Pledge to End Trade Subsidies if Others Follow," GULF DAILY NEWS, 15 September 2005; "UN Summit Supports Millennium Goals, Condemns Terrorism," ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE, 15 September 2005; "UN Reforms Receive Mixed Response," BBC NEWS, 17 September 2005.