Previewing the September Millennium Development Goals Summit

Was this past weekend's G8 Summit a preview of September's major UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals? If so, there's reason for deep concern.

The flagship program to emerge from the recent G8 Summit in Toronto was the "Muskoka Initiative," which commits G8 nations to an additional $5 billion in support of maternal and child health over the next five years. But instead of generating optimism, the declaration has been met with resounding disappointment.

Why? First, $5 billion over five years isn't even close to the target set by the Partnership for Maternal, Child, and Newborn Health, which estimates that aid of at least $4 billion per year is needed. Beyond the amount of the public pledge, there's also skepticism about whether such promised money will actually just be taken from other categories of development aid, and whether the U.S. Congress will even pass Obama's budgetary requests to back these minimal pledges. (For more concerns with the Muskoka Initiative, check out Sarah Boseley's recent blog post.)

However, there's a bigger (and more troubling) point here: if the G8 Summit is a barometer for how the world intends to deal with the MDGs, the verdict appears frighteningly clear — at a time when bold action on global poverty is required, G8 leaders are failing to step up to the challenge.

Will small plans and cautious pledges, disguised in grand declarations and rhetoric, be the norm come September in New York? While the global economic crisis is commonly cited to excuse stagnant aid levels, the potential increases in funding that have been requested by civil society and developing countries are still tiny slices of the overall G8 nations' budgets. (Such advocates are requesting funding increases of less than 0.7% — that's right, there's a decimal point before that seven.) The G8 shouldn't be allowed to turn their collective backs on the world with each economic cycle. Only three months ahead of the UN Summit (not to mention meetings to renew funding for the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria slated to occur shortly thereafter), G8 nations must be accountable and meet the test of their leadership.

Let's hope (and act) to ensure that the events of this past weekend don't become the "new norm" for the G8 and the MDGs.

Be on the lookout over the summer and in September on this blog for more posts on the MDGs. When it comes to the world's attempts to eradicate extreme poverty and poor health, we're at a pivotal moment. Here at Change.org, we plan to bring you continued insights into the conversations shaping the path ahead — stay tuned for more.

Photo Credit: seneweb