Report urges UK to take the lead on Europe’s commitments to health Millennium Development Goals
4 July 2007 – for immediate release
As European governments fail to fulfil their commitments on improving health in developing countries and achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Gordon Brown’s government can act now and show leadership within Europe by ensuring that at least 15% of all aid to developing countries is allocated to providing better healthcare for all. This is the conclusion of a report by Action for Global Health, a new partnership of 15 non-governmental organisations across Europe.
Based on the findings of the report, Action for Global Health is calling on the UK government to publicly acknowledge the lack of progress made towards the health MDGs, and to commit to a new target date of 2009 to meet the donors’ funding target – estimated at $27 billion in 2007, rising to $38 billion by 2015 – to ensure the health MDGs can be met and health systems in developing countries improve significantly.
Present global health inequalities mean that 28 times more children die before their fifth birthday in Sub Saharan Africa than in the UK.
Action for Global Health is specifically calling on the UK government:
- to increase its funding (Official Development Assistance) for global health to 0.1% of Gross National Income (GNI) by 2013. In 2006 the Department for International Development allocated 0.043% of GNI as ODA for health
- to prioritise long-term, sustainable investment in health systems in developing countries by increasing the number of countries with which it has 10 year partnership arrangements; and use this as a model to show other European governments how they can best strengthen health systems in developing countries
- to structure its development policies and strategy on health around the health Millennium Development Goals.
The health Millennium Development Goals are a one-off chance to build up the health systems of developing countries. The report focuses on the level of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for health required from the European Union in general, and from the biggest economies of Europe specifically (the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain).
The report shows that Europe is failing to fulfil its promises to allocate 0.7% of GNI to ODA. Today only 4 of 15 European countries are on track. All countries are well below 0.1% of GNI as aid for health. (See table 1). Due to this lack of funding for health, Europe is contributing to major inequalities between health in Western European countries and developing countries.
For example:
- The life expectancy of a person born in Italy is 81 years on average, whereas in Nigeria the life expectancy is on average 45 years.
- The rate of deaths of mothers in childbirth across the developed countries averages between 10-14 deaths per 100,000 live births and in Sub Saharan Africa the figure is 921 deaths per 100,000 live births.
- In Sub Saharan Africa 168 in every 1000 children die before their fifth birthday and in the UK it is only 6 per 1000.
In a recorded message to launch the global health report, Archbishop Desmond Tutu said:
“We are now half-way to the target date of 2015 when the Millennium Development Goals need to be achieved. At this stage the money and the systems were supposed to be in place to allow health to improve enough to meet the targets, but are they? It appears that many governments, north and south, have forgotten what they promised or have used a change of leadership to get out of their commitments.”
Dr Julian Lob-Levyt, Executive Secretary, GAVI Alliance said:
“As we reach the mid-point towards the 2015 Millennium Development Goals, this report reaffirms the urgent need to accelerate our momentum. This will require increased, more predictable funding from donors and a flexible financing architecture that supports the health strategies of developing countries. Only if we align all our efforts can we turn global health goals into measurable improvements in the lives of women and children in the poorest countries.” Ends Editors’ notes
- The report ‘Health Warning’ is being launched in Brussels on Wednesday 4 July, and in London on Monday 9 July at the Jubilee Room, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA. If you would like to attend the London event, please RSVP to Paul Dawson (info@tbalert.org) or Simon Moore (smoore@aidsalliance.org).
- About Action For Global Health
Action for Global Health was established in October 2006. It brings together fifteen non-governmental health and development organisations from Brussels and a number of European countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. It aims to monitor the actions and policies of European governments on how they affect health in developing countries, and to influence decision-makers to improve their practice. The UK partners of Action for Global Health are the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, TB Alert and Interact Worldwide. For more information: www.actionforglobalhealth.eu
- For further information:
Simon Moore, Head of Communications, International HIV/AIDS Alliance. Tel: 01273 718744. Email: smoore@aidsalliance.org
Elaine Ireland, Global Health Advocacy Officer, Action for Global Health. Tel: 01273 718940. Email: eireland@aidsalliance.org
- Action for Global Health will publish a follow-up report annually to assess Europe’s actions and scrutinise their policies on health development aid.
