International Herald Tribune, May 21, 2007
Not Only the Poorest Need Aid
By His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein
AMMAN: Last week, leaders
from 10 other mostly lower-middle income nations joined me at the Dead Sea for
an urgent meeting about the future prosperity and social stability of our
countries. Our group, the G-11, with per-capita incomes above $875 but no more
than $3,465 a year, is home to almost two of every five people on earth.
We believe we have led the way on growing out of poverty as a result of our
sustained commitment to wide-ranging reforms. But for us to continue delivering
the benefits of growth to all of our people, we agreed that our countries need a
new partnership with you, the Group of Eight industrialized nations, one which
will raise lower-middle income countries into higher income brackets.
The fact is that the G-8 development and aid agenda has, quite rightly, been
focused of late on the poorest countries. These are also the countries which
often suffer from the greatest problems with provision of basic government
services, the rule of law and political instability.
Yet efforts directed at the poorest cannot be separated from the larger goal of
global development, to ensure that countries can create and then truly sustain
prosperity. There is growing recognition of the need to support lower-middle
income countries that have made the tough choices for reform and growth.
Jordan and the other G-11 countries - Croatia, El Salvador, Ecuador, Georgia,
Honduras, Indonesia, Morocco, Pakistan, Paraguay and Sri Lanka - are now poised
at that threshold, one which will take them further steps up the economic
ladder.
That success will foster stronger, more stable economies, more purchasing power,
more resources for development, and new opportunities for our countries and our
trading and investment partners. These are advances that, together, create a
sustainable cycle of prosperity and growth - for our countries, our regions, and
the world.
To reach our goals we have made the difficult economic choices that success
demands. In Jordan, we have pursued a national strategy of economic and social
reform, focusing on good governance, sound macroeconomic policies, a stronger
private sector, and education and other gateways to prosperity. Recent economic
markers for G-11 countries as a whole show similar positive outcomes from their
commitment to reform.
Yet dangers remain. While we are far from being the poorest countries, our
population includes 80 percent of the world's poorest people. Until we achieve
success, our countries cannot relax their focus on critical and often costly
development needs, from education to infrastructure to fiscal reform and more.
Moreover, many of our countries are struggling with a legacy of debt rooted in
international economic crises decades ago - debt which has been forgiven for
many of the world's poorest countries. Rising oil prices, regional conflict, and
terrorism can all undermine the structures of good governance and the rule of
law which underpin successful growth.
Ironically, it is this growth which has often led to withdrawal of conventional
international assistance.
The G-11 has identified four areas where international support can help us
consolidate gains and move forward. The first is promotion of investment, which
supports higher productivity and trade-based growth. Second is trade
development, including market access and technical assistance. Third is
debt-burden alleviation, to reduce pressures on financial and budgetary space.
Fourth is targeted grant assistance, to address global crises such as poverty
and health, but just as urgently, to support education, infrastructure and other
initiatives that enable developing countries to maximize the impact of
knowledge, technology, innovation, and economic liberalization.
Beyond these specific approaches must be a new partnership of effort. As
countries move towards prosperity, assistance should move beyond traditional
mechanisms to an alternative development framework - one that rewards, not
penalizes, successful development and reform.
You, the leaders of the G-8, have been responsive to our call. At the Jordan
summit, there were observers from Germany and Japan, the current and future G-8
presidencies, and later this year, the G-11 and G-8 presidents will meet in
Germany.
Together, I believe we can create a new development paradigm, one that is truly
global in its reach and its impact. The success of lower-middle income countries
will create an anchor for regional stability and prosperity and provide a
crucial model of what structural and economic reform can achieve. By supporting
that achievement, you will send a powerful signal to the poorest countries that
the global commitment to development goes to the finish line.
Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein is king of Jordan.