MDGs: on to the home stretch
Alliance Sud and Amnesty International staged a symbolic action in front of the Federal Parliament challenging Switzerland to build momentum on the home stretch to the Millennium Development Goals through increased development aid, a more coherent overall policy towards the South and by implementing human rights consistently across foreign and foreign economic policy.
Foto: Lukas Lehmann, Keystone
„Millennium Development Goals – we will keep our word" was the pledge made by seven members of the Swiss Government in front of the Parliament in the capital Berne. With a view to the UN Summit from 20 to 22 September in New York, they distributed a flyer setting out what they will be doing in practical terms to secure a breakthrough towards the Millennium Development Goals. For achieving the UN goals is not incumbent on development cooperation alone, but on overall policy making and on all Ministries.
Media Conference
Peter Niggli of Alliance Sud and Daniel Bolomey of Amnesty International then assessed Switzerland's MDG commitment so far. The two organizations are calling for three principal measures in this the final sprint towards 2015:
• That Switzerland quickly steps up its development assistance to 0.5 per cent of GNP and targets it specifically so as to benefit the poorest countries and population groups.
• that it makes its foreign policy more coherent and helps poor countries with information exchange in order to combat tax evasion.
• that it places human rights at the centre of overall foreign and foreign economic policy.
For more information contact: Pepo Hofstetter
See also
Switzerland helps development – but not enough.
Interview with Peter Niggli, Director of Alliance Sud
