In 2005, Nelson Mandela emphasised that extreme poverty could be overcome in the same way apartheid and slavery were. In the same spirit, the ‘Make Poverty History’ campaign was part of a massive push to tackle world poverty. Tens of millions of people demanded that their leaders deliver trade justice, increase and improve aid, and write off public debts of poor countries. We believed these issues were at the core of poverty.
On behalf of Oxfam I was selected to join a group of African women to deliver messages from the public to the British Prime Minster, Tony Blair.
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| Pam in gold coloured outfit in front of no.10 delivering petition |
We walked proudly into Downing Street with traditional baskets balanced precariously on our heads. They overflowed with almost half a million petition signatures, making this the biggest petition ever received by a British Prime Minister.
Such a display of people power led to unparalleled pressure on G8 leaders to take decisive action at the Gleneagles Summit in Edinburgh. This resulted in a commitment to cancel debts owed to international financial institutions. Leaders also agreed to increase aid to less developed nations by $50 billion by 2010.
But 10 years on, what has actually been achieved?
Progress
With earlier programmes included,
$97 billion in debt relief has been provided. 36 of 39 eligible countries have finished the debt relief process.
The most notable achievements have been in health and education. 10 African nations whose debts have been cancelled have witnessed astounding growth of
40% on education spending, and 70% on healthcare. As a result,
35 million more children across sub-Saharan Africa have been able to start primary education since 2005. Millions of children, girls in particular, now have the opportunity to learn to read and write. When school fees in Uganda were abolished as a result of debt relief, the number of children enrolled in primary schools more than
doubled to over 5 million over the next four years. Further, through bringing together aid and domestic resources, the government of Mali has been able to
employ over 20,000 new teachers.
In terms of healthcare, Africa received about $11 billion more in aid in 2010 than in 2004. This supported some life-changing, and often life-saving,
expansion: of vaccine coverage; of major programmes targeting malaria, AIDS and tuberculosis; and of safe childbirth. In Zambia, debt relief replaced user fees for healthcare facilities in rural areas. As a direct result, visits to government facilities have
increased by 50%. Prior to that,
Zambia had been paying double in debt cancellation what it was able to spend on healthcare. In Sierra Leone, which has consistently had one of the highest maternal death rates globally, aid has made basic healthcare free for mothers and babies. This has led to nearly
three times as many children attending health clinics.
Arguably the most profound change is in the perceived achievability of Make Poverty History’s mission. In 2005, many had resigned themselves to extreme poverty being permanent. However, 10 years on, the goal of ensuring that no person should live in absolute poverty by the year 2030 will be enshrined within the Sustainable Development Goals, to be signed by world leaders in September of this year. The reason for the new sense of possibility is that we are
already halfway there.
Failures
While there are many causes for celebration, there have been missed targets and broken promises that have led to ongoing suffering and poverty. In 2011, according to the
World Bank, over a billion people remained in extreme poverty. To take a specific example, there is still a long way to go in providing universal HIV/AIDS treatment. As of 2014,
only 37% of people who need antiretroviral treatment are receiving it.
Such a terrible reality is partly due to the G8 falling far short of their combined promise of $50 billion in aid by the 2010 deadline. EU nations remain
considerably off-track regarding their promise to dedicate 0.7% of gross national income to aid by 2015. The USA was the only country to fulfil its (very modest) pledge.
Instead of coming clean about this failure,
the G8 have been accused of manipulating figures. Rather than adjusting aid figures for inflation, the G8 have used 2010 prices. This sleight of hand makes it appear as though they have delivered almost $49 billion instead of the accurate figure of
$31 billion.
This shortfall could have funded: school attendance for every child in the world; the salaries of almost 800,000 midwives in sub-Saharan Africa; and life-saving mosquito nets for 1 million people.
Concluding thoughts
Despite the negatives, back in 2005 public pressure led to powerful promises. Without these promises, it is certain that far less progress would have been achieved. The campaign demonstrated that ordinary people can make a real difference, particularly when G8 leaders are acutely aware of the world’s attention, and that setting ambitious anti-poverty targets is worth it. If we can achieve that level of progress again, we could be much closer to finally eradicating extreme poverty.
Pamela Steele is director and principal consultant at
PSA Ltd, an Oxford-based consultancy working to strengthen national health supply chains in developing countries.
