Subject: 0.7% Development Goal

Moved By: The Rev. Dennis Drainville from the Diocese of Quebec

Seconded By: Bishop Jim Njegovan, from the Diocese of Brandon

Note: The mover and the seconder must be members of the General Synod and be present in the House when the resolution is before the synod for debate.

BE IT RESOLVED:

That this General Synod

1. Affirm the Development Goal of the United Nations for each developed country to contribute 0.7% of its gross national product to Official Development Assistance (ODA) in developing countries.
   
2. Request the General Secretary to write to the Government of Canada by June 30, 2004, urging it to act on the 0.7% Development Goal, using the proposal of the Canadian Council of International Cooperation for reaching this goal by 2015:
   • To increase foreign aid by 12% annually until 2009 – an additional $750 million over the next three years to increases already planned
   • To increase foreign aid by 15% between 2009-2015.

 

3. Affirm the challenge of the 1998 Lambeth Conference to dioceses and provinces of the Anglican Communion to provide 0.7% of their own resources to fight global poverty.
   
4. Request the Primate
   • to encourage Anglicans to give their generous support to the PWRDF and Anglican Appeal, which together with the Partnerships budget of General Synod, represent the Anglican Church of Canada’s financial commitment to supporting international development programs, fighting poverty, and strengthening international and intra-Anglican partnerships.

   to report to the Anglican Communion by August 31, 2004, through the Task Team on Poverty and Trade, on the Anglican Church of Canada’s contributions to development and poverty work to help give a complete picture of the Anglican Communion’s efforts to achieve Millennium Development Goals.
   

EXPLANATORY NOTES:

1. In 1970, the UN General Assembly agreed that a target for Official Development Assistance (ODA) should be set at 0.7 per cent of the GNP of developed countries. Commitment to this goal has been repeated many times since then, most recently in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). But global aid levels continue to decline. The aid level in 2000 represented only 0.22 per cent of the GNP of developed countries, less than a third of the 0.7 per cent target.
   
2. The 1998 Lambeth Conference Resolution I.15 on International Debt and Economic Justice, stated in part (section k): “We call on all Primates to challenge their dioceses to fund international development programs, recognized by provinces, at a level of at least 0.7% of annual total diocesan income.”
   
3. The Poverty and Trade Task Team of the Anglican Communion was appointed at the request of the Primates and met for the first time in September 2003. They found that the issue of globalization is at the top of the agenda for many Provinces of the Anglican Communion, and that the challenge to abolish poverty and achieve economic parity throughout the world is thwarted through global economic systems. They further saw that the target for each developed nation to spend 0.7% of its gross national product on development in under-developed countries is critical to redress the injustices.
   
4. The Poverty and Trade Task Team is proposing a Communion-wide fund raising effort to achieve a collective goal of one pound sterling for each member of the Anglican Communion, or a total of 70 million pounds. The Task Team recognizes that some provinces (including the Anglican Church of Canada) already have fundraising structures and activities in place and are already undertaking advocacy work in support of Millennium Development Goals. They are therefore suggesting a simple reporting process to allow their contributions to be counted in order to give a complete picture of the Anglican Communion’s efforts to achieve the MDGs.

Carried