Proceedings of the DFID?DSA?EADI?ActionAid Policy Forum

Abstract

The main conclusions from the plenary sessions of the Policy Forum can be summarised as follows:

• focus must still remain on achieving the MDGs;

• developing country ownership of the new framework is essential and the approach must therefore be Southern?led;

• the obligations of the developed countries towards the achievement of the MDGs need clarification;

• international income and wealth redistribution should be a ‘right’ (‘automatic’ rather than discretionary), including international redistributive taxes and international inequality and its reduction should be given more emphasis;

• ethical and moral perspectives need emphasising within a global social justice, rather than a purely Indicator?driven, approach;

• ‘fragile’ states and global uncertainty need special treatment;

• the ‘quality’ of MDG achievements, rather than ‘quantity’, needs emphasising;

• the science and technology capacity of developing countries is critically important;

• processes which deliver the quantitative Indicators (MDGs) require more emphasis.

Serious research is needed to ensure the debate is well informed.