Advance Social Watch Report 2005 - Press Conference

Press Conference: Mr. Roberto Bissio, Social Watch Coordinator, Dr. Karina Batthyany, Social Watch Head Researcher, Ms. Rehema Kerefu-Sameji, Social Watch Tanzania, and Ms. Barbara Adams (moderator), Chief of Strategic Partnerships and Communications at UNIFEM, to discuss Social Watch's publication, "Advance Social Watch Report 2005: Unkept Promises. What the numbers say about poverty and gender."

[Webcast: Archived Video - 31 minutes]

PRESS RELEASE

New York, June 23, 2005 - 11:15 AM, UN Press Room

UNKEPT PROMISES: Social Watch launches an Advance Report 2005, claims that the MDGs will not be achieved at present progress rates.

"What the numbers tell us is a sad story: at present progress rates the solemn commitment made by the world leaders to substantially reduce poverty and achieve gender equality by 2015 will not be met". This conclusion is subsubstantiated by Social Watch with figures for every country in a report titled "Unkept Promises" launched today at the UN.

Social Watch decided to advance its findings and launch an extraordinary report today in order to underline the messages that civil society will be giving this week to the UN General Assembly in New York and to the meeting of the leaders of the most powerful countries in the world in the first week of July in Scotland.

"In spite of all the promises, investment in social services are going down all around the world and inequalities are on the rise since 1990", concludes the Social Watch report.

"Social Watch is an international network based on citizen coalitions in 60 countries, poor and rich. The Social Watch report keeps track every year about progress and regression in the path towards eradicating poverty and achieving gender equity, a promise made by governments at the UN in 1995 and reaffirmed in the year 2000 in the largest gathering ever held of world leaders.

Yet, according to Social Watch, the necessary increase in aid has been too little and too slow, the international trade system is still biased against the poor farmers that consititute a majority of the pople living in poverty and the world finances have not been reformed in a way that might help poor countries overcome chronic indebtedness that sucks away the their scarce resources. In contrast, military expenditures are on the rise everywhere.

Social Watch was created around the idea that unless citizens monitor the commitments made by governments and held the leaders accountable, they will not be met.

The Advance Social Watch report 2005 will be officially launched at the United Nations in New York on June 24.

See the Advance Social Watch Report 2005 titled "Unkept Promises. What the numbers say about poverty and gender".

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Social Watch spokepersons:

Roberto Bissio, Coordinator of the international secretariat, Karina Batthyany, head of the social sciences research department, Rehema Kerefu-Sameji, Social Watch Tanzania, and Barbara Adams (moderator), Chief of Strategic Partnerships and Communications at UNIFEM.