EU €1 billion Millennium Development Goals initiative to support maternal health, contribute to fight against child mortality and hunger and improve supply of water and sanitation
EU €1 billion Millennium Development Goals initiative to support maternal health, contribute to fight against child mortality and hunger and improve supply of water and sanitation Water and sanitation, maternal health, hunger and child mortality: those Millennium Development Goals that are most off-tracks will be allocated an additional €1 billion by the European Commission, said EU Commissioner Piebalgs today during a round table on Nutrition at the UN General Assembly. The European Commission is finalising the identification of the projects presented by African, Caribbean and Pacific countries themselves.
"This additional EU support will help to make a decisive move in the fight against poverty. Projects have been identified in partnership with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and are fully results-oriented" said EU Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs, adding: "Since 2000, EU support contributed to educate more than 9 millions children, to provide health care to 10 millions women and to give access to water and sanitation to millions of household. However, we should spare no efforts to boost the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015".
With the MDG Initiative which was announced in New York in September 2010, the EU will support African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries in reaching the Millennium Development Goals. It focuses on countries that have shown good performance in implementing aid on the one hand but also targets the most off tracks MDG on the other.
Important steps in the implementation of the initiative have been made. The European Commission has agreed with all national authorities in partner countries on how to best program this extra funding, with clear and measurable indicators to demonstrate the additional benefits of additional money. The Commission is now in the final steps of the validation process in order to launch some of those specific projects as soon as next year.
