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Pope praises Australia's efforts
at reconciliation and support for MDGs
Pope Benedict received Australia's first ambassador to the Vatican on 12 February 2009, and praised Australia's commitment to improving human progress. Tim Fischer, a Catholic, is the first person appointed to this new post, and had previously been the leader of the National Party in Australia.
In his words of welcome, the Pope expressed his sympathies for the victims of the terrible fires in Victoria. He then recalled last year's World Youth Day in Sydney, when many people could 'encounter God in an intense experience of prayer, learning, and listening.' He hoped young Christians 'will channel their enthusiasm for all that is true and good into forging friendships across divides and creating places of living faith in and for our world'.
Benedict noted Australia's cultural diversity and richness, but also the painful 'injustices' endured by the indigenous peoples. 'Through the apology offered last year by Prime Minister Rudd, a profound change of heart has been affirmed', helping all face the existing challenges.
Benedict also applauded Australia's 'active support of the Millennium Development Goals, numerous regional partnerships, and initiatives to strengthen the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty'. 'Not least' among issues confronting humanity, he said, 'are the menacing threats to God's creation itself through climate change. Perhaps more than ever before in our human history the fundamental relationship between Creator, Creation and Creature needs to be pondered and respected'.
He reiterated his call 'for an ethical approach' to create 'positive partnerships between markets, civil society and States', and commended "the Australian Government's determination to establish relations of co-operation based on the values of fairness, good governance, and the sense of a regional neighbourhood... It is ethics which render imperative a compassionate and generous response to poverty; they render urgent the sacrificing of protectionist interests for fair accessibility of poor countries to developed markets just as they render reasonable donor nations' insistence upon accountability and transparency in the use of financial aid by receiver nations'.
Concerning Church activity in healthcare, Benedict also highlighted 'the provision of medical care for families, including high-quality obstetrical care for women. How ironic it is when some groups, through aid programmes, promote abortion as a form of maternal healthcare: taking a life, purportedly to improve the quality of life'.
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UN sounds alarm about MDGs
A recent United Nations report has warned about setbacks to achieving the Millennium Development Goals The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, on 4 September 2008 released the report, Delivering on the Global Partnership for Achieving the Millennium Development Goals, which acknowledges some major achievements, but warns that the contributions of developed countries are falling short of what they promised. The Group of Eight industrialised countries in 2005 pledged to give more than $US25 billion to Africa by 2010, but so far have only given $US4 billion.
 Donor countries increased their official development assistance (ODA)after 2000, but aid flows have recently declined, by 4.7 per cent in 2006 and a further 8.4 per cent in 2007. Moreover, the failure of the recent Doha Round of trade negotiations has been a 'major setback' to developing countries being able to reduce their poverty through greater trade.
The report noted progress on debt relief, though more action was needed. There had also been progress in the availability of medicines against infectious diseases, but many other essential drugs, including antibiotics and painkillers, were not affordable for the poor.
UNICEF also reported on 12 September that child mortality had fallen by 27 per cent since 1990 to 68 deaths per 1000 live births. Some countries, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Laos and Nepal had more than halved their child mortality rate and were on track to reduce child deaths by two-thirds by 2015. But some countries had shown disappointing progress. Perhaps 148 million children in poor countries remained undernourished.
Adding urgency to Mr Ban's call to lift ODA, recent World Bank figures show that the number of people living in 'absolute poverty' is 500 million more than previously estimated.
Ban on 11 September noted the steady achievements of the MDGs, particularly in expanding education and in primary school enrolments, in gender equality and health services. In addition, the proportion of people living in poverty was expected to halve by 2015, thus achieving this key MDG target. However, most of these gains were in Asia, while sub-Saharan Africa was losing ground.
Recent high food prices have aggravated the situation greatly, especially in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Yet despite these challenges, Ban said it was still possible to reach most of the MDGs. "In most cases, we already know what needs to be done, and how".
Some 150 countries , including more than 90 heads of State, will participate on 25 September in a high-level one-day conference to review progress to date and determine what still needs to be done. Mr Ban said: "I expect all participants to announce specific initiatives or commitments and lay out plans to realise them. By the close of the meeting, we hope to be in a very different place from where we are today." The UN has been pressing donor countries to increase their overseas aid to 0.7 per cent of gross national income.
The UN report, Delivering on the Global Partnership for Achieving the Millennium Development Goals is available at www.un/esa/policy/mdggap/mdg8report_engw.pdf.
A recent United Nations report has warned about setbacks to achieving the Millennium Development Goals The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, on 4 September 2008 released the report, Delivering on the Global Partnership for Achieving the Millennium Development Goals, which acknowledges some major achievements, but warns that the contributions of developed countries are falling short of what they promised. The Group of Eight industrialised countries in 2005 pledged to give more than $US25 billion to Africa by 2010, but so far have only given $US4 billion.
Donor countries increased their official development assistance (ODA)after 2000, but aid flows have recently declined, by 4.7 per cent in 2006 and a further 8.4 per cent in 2007. Moreover, the failure of the recent Doha Round of trade negotiations has been a 'major setback' to developing countries being able to reduce their poverty through greater trade.
The report noted progress on debt relief, though more action was needed. There had also been progress in the availability of medicines against infectious diseases, but many other essential drugs, including antibiotics and painkillers, were not affordable for the poor.
UNICEF also reported on 12 September that child mortality had fallen by 27 per cent since 1990 to 68 deaths per 1000 live births. Some countries, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Laos and Nepal had more than halved their child mortality rate and were on track to reduce child deaths by two-thirds by 2015. But some countries had shown disappointing progress. Perhaps 148 million children in poor countries remained undernourished.
Adding urgency to Mr Ban's call to lift ODA, recent World Bank figures show that the number of people living in 'absolute poverty' is 500 million more than previously estimated.
Ban on 11 September noted the steady achievements of the MDGs, particularly in expanding education and in primary school enrolments, in gender equality and health services. In addition, the proportion of people living in poverty was expected to halve by 2015, thus achieving this key MDG target. However, most of these gains were in Asia, while sub-Saharan Africa was losing ground.
Recent high food prices have aggravated the situation greatly, especially in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Yet despite these challenges, Ban said it was still possible to reach most of the MDGs. "In most cases, we already know what needs to be done, and how".
Some 150 countries , including more than 90 heads of State, will participate on 25 September in a high-level one-day conference to review progress to date and determine what still needs to be done. Mr Ban said: "I expect all participants to announce specific initiatives or commitments and lay out plans to realise them. By the close of the meeting, we hope to be in a very different place from where we are today." The UN has been pressing donor countries to increase their overseas aid to 0.7 per cent of gross national income.
The UN report, Delivering on the Global Partnership for Achieving the Millennium Development Goals is available at http://www.undp.org/mdg/MDG-GAP-TF-Report.pdf.
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