Development Committee communiqué: Concerted action needed to accelerate progress toward Millennium Development Goals

• Pages: 122-123

Page 122

Following is the text of the communiqué issued by the Development Committee following the conclusion of its meeting, which was held in Washington, D.C., on April 25.

The strategies and decisions agreed in Doha, Monterrey, and Johannesburg set out a framework for fighting poverty and achieving the internationally agreed goals of the Millennium Declaration, based on countries pursuing sound policies and good governance, combined with stronger international cooperation and support. We met today to assess progress based on the first Global Monitoring Report.We welcomed the report, which provides a good basis for our yearly review. Building on this work, future reports should focus on the agenda of monitorable actions in the identified priority areas in order to reinforce accountabilities and enhance cooperation among all development partners.

We recognize that there has been progress on many fronts, including significant reforms undertaken by developing countries and important gains in reducing income poverty. However, we are very concerned that, based on current trends, most Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will not be met by most developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. All parties, developing and developed countries and the international institutions, must urgently enhance concerted action to accelerate progress toward these goals.

Sustainable and inclusive growth needs to be accelerated in many developing countries, in particular through improving the enabling climate for private sector activity; strengthening reforms, capacity, and focus on results in public institutions and improving the quality of governance; scaling up effective investment in infrastructure; and ensuring access to health care, education, and other basic social services and fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Specific priorities must be determined at the country level in the context of country-owned and -monitored development strategies, as reflected in the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers in the case of low- income countries and respective national strategy frameworks in middle-income countries. We look forward to reviewing progress on the Bank's efforts to enhance its support for development in middle- income countries at a future meeting. Given the centrality of faster and more equitable economic growth for making greater progress on the MDGs, we welcomed the efforts of the Bank to support stronger investment climates in developing...