Blame It On Rio
What’s with Brazil? While the rest of the wealthy world struggles with how it can possibly meet their Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Brazil is placed well ahead of the game.Just to reiterate, the MDGs were established in 2000 and set targets for a number of different key areas where poverty could be reduced and health and security could be attained in the poorest regions. Despite all the fanfare, many of the globe’s most developed nations, including Canada, have fallen short of their commitments. Research from last year shows that this country is one of the least generous of donor nations, ranking 16 of 22 in aid disbursements as a percent of the economy. The OECD warned that if the other participating nations kept their MDG promises, Canada could fall to 20th place.Meanwhile, Brazil has taken its destiny into its own hands and committed heavily to the entire MDG exercise. It has already exceeded some these goals in various categories and is on track for fulfilling the rest within the allotted time. This has caught some of the more advanced nations off-guard and in the process positioned Brazil as a major partner in aid development over the next decades.The MDG exercise not only set key categories for commitment but also established a clear timeline for their fulfillment. By 2015 all participating countries are to have kept their promises – a problem, since most prosperous nations will inevitably fall short. An important step along the way occurs in a September meeting at the United Nations, where participating nations will have to report on their progress towards the MDGs. Canada will not only have to face the music about its own lack of performance, the recent freezing of successive CIDA budgets and the reality it earlier pulled out of eight African countries will leave it particularly vulnerable to criticism. It won’t be alone, however, as other nations like the United States will occupy similar ground.There is a small group of nations, many from Europe, who will be able to report success. Yet no one expected Brazil to be so ahead in the game. They will have reached their goals by dedicated financial commitments and by creatively involving numerous civil society organizations to participate in the effort. Unlike Canada, where governmental foreign aid remains a labyrinth of technical calculations, Brazil has mobilized society to take part in the grand enterprise of achieving its MDGs. They’ve even taken to pasting MDG bumper stickers on their cars to show their support.As has been said earlier in these posts, foreign aid and development clearly stands at a crossroads. Part of that transition is the arrival of new players, and Brazil has now clearly stepped up to make its presence felt. Last June, in Rome for the run-up to the G8 meetings there, I could sense in the Brazilian delegation an enthusiasm and dedication for being world leaders. Few expected them to take such a dramatic turn in commitment to international aid, but now that they have, the rather tired Western democracies are facing the embarrassment of not living up to their promises. Now out of large parts of Africa, and freezing what had been a commendable increase in development aid, Canada might well have to move aside for the new players who comprehend the importance of foreign aid to the world’s betterment. The post-Lester Pearson era is now upon us, sadly.