Published: 3 Nov. 2011
Anti poverty-group ONE today welcomed Bill Gates' report on development and urged G20 leaders to embrace his "bold formula".
Speaking from Cannes, Adrian Lovett, Europe Director of ONE, said:
"With a few notable exceptions, world leaders have been quietly backing away from their promises to the world's poorest and hoping nobody would notice. The Gates report demonstrates how financing for the fight against poverty can be found, leaving leaders with no excuse not to act. Leaders should embrace this bold formula that could boost global growth and wipe out extreme poverty in a generation.
"The Gates report shows for the first time how coordinated global agreement on investment, aid and innovative taxes could raise enough revenue to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and avoid catastrophic consequences of the eurozone crises - not only for Europe and the international finance system, but also for developing countries who are the innocent victims of this crisis."
"Africa can be part of the solution to the global economic crisis. With 500 million people of working age, and six of the ten fastest-growing economies in the world, the G20 will be missing a trick if it fails to recognise Africa as a new source of consumer demand and a solution for weak global growth."
Central to Bill Gates' report is the fact that the biggest source of funding for development will come from developing countries themselves. Transparency and access to information is crucial to ensure that domestic revenues are spent in ways that benefit the whole population. Gates has said that all G20 countries should endorse legally binding requirements that will force oil, gas and mining companies to disclose the payments they make to governments for the extraction of natural resources.
"Immediate implementation of Bill Gates proposals is more urgent than ever. As ONE, we call on the G20 to accept the recommendations of the report in full, and agree an accountable process to put them into action. We ask President Felipe Calderon to insist on a progress report at the Mexico G20 in seven months' time", said Adrian Lovett.
Notes to editors
1. ONE is a global advocacy and campaigning organization backed by more than 2.5 million people from around the world dedicated to fighting extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. For more information please visit www.ONE.org
2. ONE will be on the ground at the G20 summit in Cannes from November 2-4 and will have staff available for interviews and policy briefings in French, English and German. Please contact Verena von Derschau in Cannes on +33 6 31 22 89 68 or verena.vonderschau@one.org, or Katherine Sladden on +44 7584 470 644 or katherine.sladden@one.org
3. For a full outline of ONE's policy position and key asks for the G20 summit go to: http://www.one.org/c/international/policybrief/4097/
