Ministers pledge to continue global effort to reduce poverty

• Pages: 106-109

Page 106

Following is the full text of the Development Committee communiqué issued on April 13 inWashington, D.C. We met today to review progress in the work of implementing the strategies, partnerships, and actions agreed in Monterrey and Johannesburg to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and to consider ways to enhance the voice and participation of developing and transition countries in our institutions.

Since our meeting last fall, the global environment has become more uncertain. Slower economic growth, the war in Iraq, and failure to make more substantive progress on the Doha Development Agenda add to the challenge of implementing the global development agenda.We therefore strongly reaffirmed our commitment to the global effort needed to reduce poverty in developing and transition countries and achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

To accelerate progress toward these and related goals, we emphasized the need for policies by both developed and developing countries in partnership to generate stronger economic growth complemented by actions to enhance the capabilities of poor people to participate in growth and access key social services.

For developing countries, three interrelated areas in particular require strengthened efforts: improving the environment for investment and private sector activity, including macroeconomic stability and supporting infrastructure; strengthening governance, including public financial management, and capacity in the private and public sector; and increasing human capital through broader and more effective delivery of basic and social services to the poor. Such stronger reform efforts by developing countries would lay the foundations for enhanced growth and private financing.

As agreed at Monterrey, these efforts need to be matched with stronger support from developed countries, in particular through increased market access for developing country exports, debt relief, and increases in the volume, predictability, and effectiveness of aid. Proposals to achieve this, including facilities, are being considered, and we look forward to progress in the coming months.We are pleased that on April 8, the International Development Association's Thirteenth Replenishment became effective.We also reaffirmed our commitment to increased assistance to the sub-Saharan African and other countries that face special challenges in meeting the Millennium Development Goals.

On improving aid quality, including its...