2015 development goals within reach- IMF, WB
WASHINGTON, April 16, AFP
Goals for slashing extreme poverty and hunger in the world by 2015
are more in reach as two-thirds of developing countries near the
targets, a World Bank-IMF report said Friday.
But much of the progress reflects rapid economic growth in China and
India, while many African countries are lagging behind, economists
warned.
In a mainly upbeat assessment of progress on the Millennium
Development Goals, an eight-point program set up by the international
community in 2000, the World Bank and its sister institution the
International Monetary Fund called for stepped-up efforts to close the
gap.
“Two-thirds of developing countries are on track or close to meeting
key targets for tackling extreme poverty and hunger,” the
Washington-based institutions said in this year’s Global Monitoring
Report.
The United Nations set a 15-year timeframe at the turn of the
millennium to achieve its goals of halving extreme poverty, boosting
health and education and further empowering women across the developing
world.
The IMF-World Bank report card reveals “a diverse, and often hopeful,
picture,” the institutions said. Among developing countries that are
falling short, half are close to getting on the road to achieving the
goals.
“With improved policies and faster growth, these countries can still
achieve the targets in 2015 or soon after,” the report said.
According to the report, based on current economic projections, the
world remains on track to reduce by half the number of people living in
extreme poverty.
The number of people living below the poverty line of $1.25 a day is
forecast to fall to 883 million in 2015, compared with 1.4 billion in
2005 and 1.8 billion in 1990. “Reaching the MDGs (goals) is a
significant achievement for developing countries. But there still is
much to do in reducing poverty and improving health outcomes even in the
successful countries,” Hans Timmer, director of development prospects at
the World Bank, said in a statement.
“Donors should build on this success and help countries make the next
step through investments in effective service delivery,” he added.
Seventeen countries are far from halving extreme poverty, economists
said.
Brad McDonald, deputy division chief and IMF coordinator for the
report, emphasized that economic growth continues to be a major factor
in reaching the targets.Although the 2008-2009 global economic and
financial crises had set back progress, he said, “many low-income
countries that had strong macroeconomic policies were able to soften the
impact of the crisis with active tax and spending policies.”
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