The empty promises of the rich

Fulfilling the millennium development goals is a task for the rich countries alone, but too often they confine themselves to making empty promises, the left-liberal La Repubblica writes, particularly in the case of Italy: "Among the millennium goals number 8 gives us pause for thought and makes us angry. The talk here is of a 'global partnership for development' and of a promise by the richest countries, including Italy of course, to allocate 0.7 percent of their gross domestic product to 'official development assistance' by 2015. The GDP may not be an indicator of happiness, but in this case it helps us to measure the commitment of governments to what should be their priorities. Here Italy ranks ... penultimate with just 0.1 percent, with only South Korea ranking lower. ... Perhaps our great statesmen are unable to grasp that a world in which poverty has been overcome will be a better world for everyone. ... A little can go a long way but Italy is doing nothing."

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