New Zealand needs to face up to its responsibility

18 December 2006

If U2's recent concerts around the world are any indication then 80,000 of us will be exposed over the next 48 hours to devastating images of extreme poverty. ChildFund New Zealand implores New Zealanders to listen to Bono's message. His message is strong and compelling, but more to the point it is true.

If U2's recent concerts around the world are any indication then 80,000 of us will be exposed over the next 48 hours to devastating images of extreme poverty. ChildFund New Zealand implores New Zealanders to listen to Bono's message. His message is strong and compelling, but more to the point it is true.

Everyday 30,000 children die because they were born into poverty. As parents and global citizens of the world we need to look at ourselves and imagine what life would be like for those parents facing such a terrible yet preventable tragedy. It is especially poignant when we have a solution before us, and all that solution requires is that we live up to a commitment that New Zealand has already made.

Around the world millions of children are living in poverty. They are abandoned, uneducated, malnourished, discriminated against, neglected and vulnerable. Survival is a daily struggle. For many children their childhood is meaningless, they struggle to grow, learn, play and feel safe, they are excluded from the basic essentials of life, and they lack protection of their family and community and are often at risk of abuse and exploitation. We as adults of the world are failing these children.

In 1989 the most far reaching and comprehensive commitments ever made on the Rights of the Child were ratified and adopted by the UN General Assembly and 192 countries, including New Zealand. It was the most highly endorsed human rights treaty in history and laid out legal and moral obligations to protect children's survival, development and protection. It also outlined children's basic rights to education, health and participation.

In recent years world leaders have not only re-affirmed and expanded these commitments, but have also set timelines and frameworks for meeting them. The latest such commitment was made at the Millennium Summit in 2000 which documented the Millennium Development Goals to be reached by 2015, of which New Zealand was a signatory alongside 189 other countries.

New Zealand is at a critical juncture in our international aid and development efforts, we currently contribute 0.27% of Gross National Income. Through our signing of the Millennium Development Goals we agreed to address extreme poverty, hunger, child and maternal mortality, and death from preventable diseases. New Zealand could take the lead and show the rest of the world that we will honour our commitment of 0.7% of our Gross National Income commitment by 2015, but to do so we need to start making this a reality today.

If New Zealand does not come up with a timeline to meet its commitment and lead the way for the rest of the world the consequences will be devastating. It will be on our conscience that an estimated 30 million children will not see their 5^th birthday, that 500 million people will remain in poverty, and that 250 million people will continue to go hungry.

At the current rate of progress 8.7 million children under 5 year olds will die in 2015. If those countries who signed the Millennium Development Goals meet their commitments then 5.5 million of these children will be saved.

By meeting the Millennium Development Goals people – especially those who are most vulnerable: children - in extreme poverty the world over will get access to clean water, to primary education, to adequate nutrition, gender equality and environmental sustainability. However the solution requires us, the citizens of New Zealand to pressure our Government to honour the commitment we have made and lead the world.

New Zealander's like to be the underdog that comes through. Now the stakes are so high we have to find it in our hearts to fight for what is right. It will literally mean the difference between life and death for millions upon millions of people. I implore New Zealanders to hear Bono's message and speak up.

Where children stand if the Millennium Development Goals are not reached by 2015:

	If MDG are met by 2015	At current rates of progress	Difference if MDG not reached
Children who have access to improved sanitation	300 million	170 million	130 million will not have improved sanitation
Children who could have access to improved water sources	100 million	70 million	30 million will not have access to improved water sources
Under-fives who could enjoy adequate nutrition	60 million	50 million	10 million under 5 will not have adequate nutrition
Primary school aged children missing out on primary education	115 million	80 million	35 million primary school children will miss out on education
Under fives whose lives could be saved in 2015 alone	5.5 million	3.8 million	1.7 million children who will die.

Note: Access to clean water and sanitation will help prevent disease and death.

Adapted from Unicef's The State of the World's Children 2006.

For more information click www.childfund.org.nz