Poll Comments - Conference on Development Financing
This poll was conducted between March 28 - April 11, 2002:
The results from the U.N. Conference on Development Financing [which concluded last week in Monterey, Mexico] will mean significant economic and social improvements in the world's poorest countries.
Do you agree? Disagree? Unsure?
| AGREE | DISAGREE | UNSURE |
"I agree with it but always with an 'if'. Funds are a necessary condition, but never a sufficient condition. The approach will have to be holistic, otherwise we can always be one more project which has funds but does not know how to use them meaningfully." [India]
"there have been so many attacks on cultural diversity but the internet still is able to create new communities and foster development of divergence and difference. It might not last but we should try to keep that characteristic. Some people have found that they can be who they want to be on the net. Unfortunately access is not universal so for poorer peoples, this is not the choice." [ ]
"Many conferences, little effect." [Senegal]
"The US has promised a little more aid (but still nothing compared with their increased military spending). But the increases are conditional upon adoption of US ideas about policy. It is not clear that there is (yet) a groundswell that "something must be done" about poverty issues." [ ]
"The rich countries put conditions to aid in the case of Zimbabwe they are rejecting any application no matter how meticulously it is presented because of the outcome of the elections.Remember the poor and marginalised communities are not at all conerned with elections before addressing bread and butter issues. Instead all aid should be channelled to the NGO's or community groups themselves to avert hunger and continued poverty circle." [Zimbabwe]
"For significant improvement in the situation of the poorest countries of the world the answer is not only in the pledging of more funds by the developed world - there are a large number of other issues which have to be addressed simultaneously - such as good governance, respect for human rights, protection from inappropriate policies of IMF and World Bank, debt relief etc etc - basically it is about political will - both at the national and international level - that is missing right now." [Pakistan]
"I doubt that capitalism can be refomed into anything good for the majority of humankind. The system is wrong. We have tried it here in Zambia and see what has happened? Thanks for the forum." [Zambia]
"What is sad is that the rhetoric and hypocrisy are just standard fare now, and the authors of "free trade when it suits us" / "our values must be your values" no longer squirm at the absurdity of their stance. Oh that the shoe were on the other foot!" [ ]
"I am afraid that the only results of the UN Conference like many others before it would be limited to promises that would remain unfulfilled." [ ]
"Policies which have been adopted in the past have not improved those from the poor countries. What has happened in the past decades is that the poor have become poorer inspite of the many documents and policies that have been put in place to improve their condition. I therefore believe that the U.N Conference on Development Financing is one of the many conferences whereby not much will be achieved on the ground. Maybe those who would stand to benefit are those who had the opportunity to attend the conference itself." [Zimbabwe]
"This is just political innuendo." [ ]
"The poor countries do not actively participate in the decision making. the donors sit and think they have the solutions to the problems which is not the case. these decisions only benefit the donors. there is nothing about the economic and social improvements. it is all a dream." [Uganda]
"The financing provided normaly goes into the hands of the hungry politicians." [Pakistan]
"Have not received enough information on the actual outcomes and implementation plans." [ ]
"The promise of something like $12billion per year new money is great, but improvements will come only from hard work by a lot of people." [USA]
"We all know that the only way for the Less Development countries to purse a SocioEconomic Development is if the richies countries of the world give a substantially economic support. If we revise the Outputs of the conference besides the words no substantially economic funds were apport for the richies countries." [ ]
"This suggestion is too general." [ ]
"I am not so sure , because for the last years donations have been sent to our countries here in Afica, still the local poeple don't benefit from these donations. What will change, the money to come and be shared among the big politicians, who think they are the right poeple to benefit." [Kenya]
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