The World Summit Consensus: From Words to Action

Washington, DC - September 19, 2005

In his opening remarks at the 2005 World Summit at the United Nations, President George W. Bush made a surprising about-face: “We [The United States] are committed to the Millennium Development Goals.”

Led by UN Ambassador John Bolton, the United States made repeated attempts during pre-summit negotiations to delete any mention of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the official “outcomes” document. What President Bush signed in the end, however – along with more than 170 other government leaders – was a renewed commitment to the MDGs, including for the first time a specific objective to achieve “universal access to reproductive health by 2015, as set out at the International Conference on Population and Development [ICPD].” The document also included an official recognition of the role of reproductive health in combating HIV/AIDS and promoting gender equality.

The official acknowledgement that poor reproductive health is hindering countries’ efforts to achieve the MDGs is significant. Translating those words into action, however, will require improved and expanded access to reproductive health services, including voluntary family planning; maternal and emergency obstetric care; and comprehensive prevention, treatment and care programs to combat HIV/AIDS.

To that end, much more assistance is needed from donor countries. According to new population assistance data, donor countries still fall far short – by about 40 percent, considering inflation – of the ICPD spending goals agreed to in 1994. Compounding this funding shortfall, the U.S. State Department announced on Sept. 15 that it is again withholding $34 million from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) – the largest internationally funded source of population assistance to developing countries. Since 2002, the Bush Administration has withheld $136 million in U.S. funding for UNFPA.

Achieving the MDGs and ensuring universal access to reproductive health will require far greater financial commitment and political will on the part of world leaders. Only then will the 2005 World Summit’s consensus be translated from words into action.In his opening remarks at the 2005 World Summit at the United Nations, President George W. Bush made a surprising about-face: “We [The United States] are committed to the Millennium Development Goals.”

Population Action International (PAI) works to improve individual well-being and preserve global resources by mobilizing political and financial support for population, family planning and reproductive health policies and programs.