U.N. Report Cites U.S. and Japan as the 'Least Generous Donors'

[struggle4progress]

By CELIA W. DUGGER
Published: September 8, 2005

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 7 - A week before world leaders gather here to set a course for combating global poverty, a United Nations report released on Wednesday names the United States and Japan as among "the least generous donors" and says American and European trade policies are hypocritical and contribute to impoverishing African farmers.

The report also highlights shortcomings in developing countries. It notes that India's and China's progress in reducing the easily preventable deaths of children has slowed even as their economic growth has surged. India has 2.5 million deaths of children a year, while China is second, with 730,000.

The new document, the annual Human Development Report, calls on India and China to tackle health inequalities aggressively. It also maintains that rich countries must significantly increase aid if the goals they agreed to five years ago - to halve extreme poverty and reduce deaths of children by two-thirds by 2015, among others - are to be met.

The report was unusual for the United Nations in so specifically describing the deficiencies of rich countries' policies. It was commissioned by the United Nations Development Program and written by a team of experts led by Kevin Watkins, former director of research for the charity Oxfam. <snip>

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/08/international/08nations.html

[applegrove]

1. Et tu Saudi Arabia?

[Lecky]

2. Ouch!

"the United States and Japan as among "the least generous donors" and says American and European trade policies are hypocritical and contribute to impoverishing African farmers."

The truth hurts. The sad thing is...not many Americans care... :(

[JoFerret]

3. There is the fantasy of largesse

that is not borne out by the facts.

[RageFist]

4. The ONE thing bush has to his credit the ONE THING

is his aid to Africa for aids, and while it isn't what Blair wanted, it IS more than any other president in previous history. And in terms of gross dollars (not percentages) America blows everyone out of the water (and I wonder how much is PRIVATELY donated).

[jamesinca]

10. Gross dollars, not percentages

That is the problem, other nations give higher percentages. The US, they give lots at lower percentages. Bush may have pledged more to Africa for AIDS, but he sid they had to teach abstinence to get it. Condoms work better for the spread of AIDS than teaching abstinence. He also put this restriction about talking about abortion, if they want the money. I think his universal gag order negates any promised AIDS aid. It has been shown that the abstinence pledges that kids here in the US take don't work. They tend to be more sexually active after the "sex free" pledge ends. Teaching about AIDS and how it is spread along with condom use will do more to stop this. He has also fought to keep generic AIDS drugs form going to Africa, he only wants his pharmaceutical buddies to get the profits. Put that into the statement that he has given more than any other president and will not teach about condoms and what do you get? You get a huge amount of money going to his pharmaceutical friends, people continuing to get infected and needing more drugs and more money going to his pharmaceutical friends. He meanwhile photo-ops and signs legislation for the cameras about how good he is to give such money to his pharmaceutical friends, I mean the needy African nations.

[RageFist]

11. Well, that certainly opens my eyes a lot...

thank you...and GRR!!!

:grr:

[saigon68]

5. India has 2.5 million deaths of children a year,

Stunning becasuse most of their Doctors are in the us of a

[darkism]

6. I thought that Japan was the world's most GENEROUS donor

...to philanthropic and humane causes.

I guess that was bad info...

[pinniped]

7. They are the world's leader in cetacean research.

.

[oscarmitre]

8. Good point pinniped

and of course in cetacean consumption.

[pinniped]

9. I suppose research is best conducted on the dinner table.

Check out this cool intro:

http://killerwhale.org/