Live8 and the Commission for Africa
A letter published June 9 2005 in The Irish TimesDear Madam,
Dr LF LACEY (Tuesday June 7th) uses a single quotation from the Commission for Africa report to argue against ill-conceived 'solutions' to poverty. He goes on, however, to reduce the cause of Africa's problems to one factor, good government, and implies that dealing with this alone is the solution. The Commission for Africa report clearly shows that multiple interlocking factors have caused african underdevelopment. In turn, the solution it proposes involves a coherent set of interlocking measures. These include more and better aid, debt relief, fairer trade, as well as action on improved governance.
Dr. Lacey's quote from the Executive Summary of the report, that "without progress in governance, all other reforms will have limited impact", should be taken in the context of the paragraphs which precede and follow it. Progress is already being made toward democracy and
better governance, rendering generalisations about an entire continent increasingly inaccurate. Rich nations have a role to play in helping to build the capacity of African governmental systems, by making aid more accountable, and by refusing to be complicit in corruption. It is wrong to
say that past development aid has not made a difference. The full report outlines a plethora of evidence which supports the demands of the Make Poverty History campaign, and Bob Geldof's Live8, and shows why they are morally compelling (available at www.commissionforafrica.org ). When millions are dying needlessly, it is simplistic excuses for in-action which are ill-conceived.
Yours etc.
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