G20 summit is 'ray of hope' for world's poorest children
New Delhi: Save the Children said the G20 summit offered "a ray of hope" for the world's poorest children - but warned that pledges in a communiqué mean little unless they are followed by action once leaders have returned home.
"While the summit is a good beginning" said Thomas Chandy, CEO of Save the Children, "a communiqué feeds no one and words alone do not save a child's life. But there is a ray of hope from today's summit that leaders may have grasped the chance to point the world in a fairer, more just direction.
"In India alone, 2 million children are dying every year before their fifth birthday. These lives depend on how leaders like Prime Minister Manmohan Singh translate this communique into action. On the brink of our elections, we urge Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to bring home the spirit of the G20 and ensure that the poorest children and their communities do not face the consequences of this economic crisis as it unfolds in India.
"Poorer nations have been hit harder than anyone else in this financial meltdown. Up to 2.8 million additional lives could be lost in low-income countries by 2015. Low income countries are facing a dramatic decline in their own economies and aid is therefore even more vital to them today."
Save the Children said success would be judged on the implementation of the following key announcements from the summit:
•The important stimulus package agreed at the summit must now deliver real benefits for the world's poorest, who have been hardest hit by the downturn.
•The clear recommitment from all countries to deliver on their aid promises, despite the downturn, must be enacted by all donor countries
•The promise to increase aid from development banks to poorer countries must deliver genuinely new resources focused on the needs of the poorest
"We now need to see a burst of energy from the Prime Minister to deliver on today's promises, and a commitment to prioritise a much needed focus on making sure schemes like National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and Integrated Child Development Services deliver effectively for the poorest children. We are in the middle of an exceptional crisis, with one in three newborn deaths globally occuring in India, and exceptional action is needed to deal with it," said Thomas Chandy .
ENDS
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Notes to Editor:
Save the Children is the world's leading, independent organisation for children that works in over 120 countries around the world. Save the Children India is a member of the International Save the Children Alliance . The organization is working on four core issues including Child protection, Child Survival, education and disaster risk reduction in 12 states and union territories and has reached over 3 million children across India .
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
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