ONE Reacts to World Bank-IMF Closing News Briefing

WASHINGTON, D.C….  At their joint news briefing today, World Bank President Robert Zoellick and International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn reiterated their support for a new coordinated effort to break the global financial crisis.  With an eye toward the upcoming Doha conference on financing development needs next month, the ONE Campaign, a global anti-poverty advocacy organization, urged leaders to address the developing countries’ urgent food, fuel, and health needs as part of a coordinated solution to the world’s financial crisis.

Oliver Buston, ONE’S European Director, said:

“The world’s leading economies should not open the door to a solution to the financial crises while shutting the door to progress for the world’s poorest countries.  The last few years have brought real progress in reducing child mortality, malaria and AIDS deaths, and children in school.  Developing economies, especially those in Africa, are taking important steps to join the world’s markets.  There has been some great progress, but this is now at risk.”

“The financial crisis is likely to reach Africa through less demand for exports, lower remittances, lower private capital flows, and reduced access to credit.  Let’s not add broken aid promises to that list.  While we feed the world’s banks, we must feed the hungry, too.  While there have been commitments to helping Africa to move forward, too little has been delivered.  Africa can help to feed the world if the world will help to lift Africa out of extreme poverty.”

The ONE Campaign is a global advocacy organization uniting millions of people to press government leaders to fight extreme poverty and preventable disease around the world.  Earlier this year, ONE merged with DATA (Debt AIDS Trade Africa).  For more information, visit www.ONE.org.