European NGO Statement on Monterrey, 11 March 2002

European NGO Statement on Monterrey, 11 March 2002

Where is the international coalition against poverty?

European NGOs dissent from the Monterrey ‘Consensus’

Hopes are fading, only 18 months after the UN Millennium Summit, that world leaders will honour their commitments on fighting global poverty at the Global Summit on Financing for Development, 18-22 March in Monterrey, Mexico. The so-called Monterrey Consensus agreement is void of any concrete commitment for raising the finances needed to meet the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

The Monterrey Consensus fails to address the structural problems that prevent the realisation of a sustainable, gender-sensitive and equitable economic globalisation. This supposed ‘Consensus’ merely repeats the promise that further trade and investment liberalisation will enable the private sector to take care of the world’s poor, despite growing evidence to the contrary. Our governments appear unready to face the challenge of reform.

The Monterrey Consensus is a sham consensus. It reflects the unwillingness of powerful states to engage in a serious global policy for sustainable development. The ‘agreement’ was pushed through, discounting the many progressive and pragmatic proposals forwarded by the developing countries and development NGOs. Its non-committal content reflects the failure of governments to agree a political consensus on how to proceed.

On 15-16 March, the Heads of Governments and States of the European Union will meet in Barcelona, Spain. NGOs expect the European leaders to issue a strongly worded,but light on substance, statement.In the two years of process leading up to Monterrey the EU has completely failed to secure a meaningful outcome.

With the Monterrey Consensus governments fail in their responsibility to make the world a safer and fairer place. Governments were able to build an international coalition against terrorism in less than a month. NGOs await the formation of an international coalition against poverty

We, representatives of European non-governmental organisations, have supported the Monterrey process with our expertise and our proposals. We believe that, in the spirit of Port Alegre, “another world is possible”. In light of the failure of EU governments to move beyond ‘business-as-usual’, we will be present in Monterrey to declare our dissent with the Monterrey Consensus.

NGOs will go to Monterrey to:

• Inform the global public of the failure by governments to address sustainable, people-centered and gender-sensitive global development and economic justice!
• Campaign for serious action by governments to realise the Millennium Development Goals!

NGOs call for:

• increased aid levels and a timeframe for meeting the UN target of 0.7% GDP for development assistance;
• a commitment to stabilise the international financial system, including the taxation of currency transactions;
• sustainable foreign debt reduction to allow indebted countries to realise the Millennium Development Goals;
• a fair and transparent arbitration process for indebted countries;
• evaluation of existing trade and investment frameworks’ impact on poverty eradication;
• and equitable participation of all countries in reformed global economic decision-making bodies.

For further information, please contact:

Jens Martens ( ), WEED, Bertha-von-Suttner-Platz 13, D-53111 Bonn
Tel. +49-228-766130, Fax: +49-228-696470, e-mail: , Internet:
List of Signatories:

Elfriede Schachner, Secretary General, AGEZ (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Entwicklungszusammenarbeit), Austria; Martina Neuwirth, Director, KOO (Coordination österreichische Bischofskonferenz für Entwicklung/Mission), Austria; Elisabeth Foerg , Director, TRIALOG (EU Enlargement and NGDO), Austria; Gottfried Mernyi, Coordinator, EAWM (Protestant Association for World Mission), Austria; Louise Hilditch, EU Policy Analyst, ACTIONAID Alliance, Belgium; Bogdan Vanden Berghe, Policy Adviser, Broederlijk Delen, Belgium; Yvon Bartelink, Genderdesk, UCOS, Belgium; Rudy De Meyer, Director Studies Department, 11.11.11., Belgium; Simon Stocker, Executive Director, Eurostep, Belgium; Sophie Charlier, Policy Adviser, Entraide et Fraternité, Belgium; Stefaan Declercq, Secretary General, OXFAM-Solidarity, Belgium; Norbert Klein, General Secretary, WMCW (World Movement of Christian Workers), Belgium; Arnaud Gorgemans, Director, FUCID, Belgium; Gerard Karlshausen, Political Secretary, CNCD (Centre National de Coopération au Développement), Belgium; ENCOD (European NGO Council on Drugs and Development), Belgium; Desislava Gotskova, Legal Advisor, Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation, Bulgaria; Lilia Dimora, Director, ASA (Agency for Social Analyses), Bulgaria; Tomas Tozicka, Coordinator Jubilee Czech, Czech Republic; Dagmar Trkalova, Coordinator, EDUCON Prague, Czech Republic; Janice Goodson Foerde, Chairperson, K.U.L.U.-Women and Development, Denmark; Charlotte Poulsen, Development Officer, Danish United Nations Association, Denmark; Bjørn Førde, Secretary General, MS (Danish Association for International Co-operation), Denmark; Folke Sundman, Executive Director, KEPA (Service Centre for Development Cooperation), Finland; Rauno Merisaari, Executive Director, Finnish United Nations Association, Finland; Arndt von Massenbach, Coordinator, INKOTA-Netzwerk, Germany; Barbara Irmer, Policy Advisor, Network of Developmental Organisations of Saxony, Germany; Peter Mucke, Executive Director, Terre Des Hommes Germany, Germany; Jens Martens, Board Member, WEED (World Economy Ecology and Development), Germany; Jürgen Kaiser, Coordinator, erlassjahr.de (Jubilee Germany), Germany; Emmaus- Gemeinschaft in Köln, Germany; Lioba Diez, Coordinator, Kairos Europa, Germany; Michael O' Brien, Campaigns and Advocacy Executive, Oxfam Ireland, Ireland; Mario Gay, President, COCIS, Italy; Marina Ponti, Director International Relations, Mani Tese, Italy; Raffaele Salinari, President, International Federation Terre Des Hommes, Italy; Martin Koehler, Director of Programs, Campagna per la Riforma della Banca Mondiale, Italy; Gianfranco Bologna, Spokesperson, WWF Italia (World Wildlife Fund), Italy; Janis Briga, Coordinator, Green Latria / Coalition Clean Baltic, Latvia; Julian Manduca, Coordinator, Moviment ghall-Ambjent (Friends of the Earth Malta), Malta; Ellen Verheul, Director, WEMOS, Netherlands; Burghard Ilge, Secretary General, Both ENDS , Netherlands; Caroline Wildeman, Policy Adviser, Novib Oxfam, Netherlands; Gunhild Oerstavik, Policy Advisor, Norwegian NGO Forum, Norway; Wojciech Zięba, Coordinator, MAITRI (Movement of Solidarity with the Poor of the Third World), Poland; Cristian Marunteanu, President, Romanian Association for Engineering Geology, Romania; Nadia Potoceanu, Chairwoman, ACTIVITY (Foundation for Human Resources and Sustainable Development), Romania; Dumitru Costin, President, National Trade Union Bloc, Romania; Mihai Lisetchi, Director, AID-NGO (Agency for Information and Development of Non-gov. Organizations), Romania; Evita Leskovsek, Coordinator, AIDS FOUNDATION ROBERT, Slovenia; Marco Rizzardini,Coordinator,Acción Informativa BMD, Spain; Marisa Santiago, Secretary General, ISI (Iniciativa Solidara Internacionalista), Spain; Teresa Burgui, Director, CONGDE (Coordinadora de ONGD Spagna), Spain; Marta Arias, Policy Advisor, Intermón Oxfam, Spain; José Manuel López ,Coordinator Social Action, Caritas, Spain; José Maria Iztueta, Director International Relations,Solidaridad Internacional, Spain; Teresa de Febrer, Coordinator, Prosalus, Spain; Miguel Romero, Coordinator, Acsur Las Segovias, Spain; Maud Johansson, Head of Policy Unit, Forum Syd, Sweden; Christine Eberlein, Policy Analyst, Berne Declaration, Switzerland; Stefan Hochhuth, Debt-for-Development-Unit, Swiss Coalition of Development Organizations, Switzerland; Steve Tibbett, Senior Campaigner, War on Want, UK; Paul Ladd, Global Advocacy Team, Christian Aid, UK; Randini Wanduragala, Head of Policy, World Vision, UK; Richard Bennett, Secretary General, BOND, UK; Belen Vazquez, Policy Analyst, ACTIONAID, UK; Angela Penrose, Special Advisor External Affairs, Save the Children, UK; Sally Nicholson, Head of Global Policy, WWF (World Wildlife Foundation), UK; Belen Vazquez, Policy Advisor, Actionaid UK, UK; Alex Wilks, Coordinator, Bretton Woods Project, UK;