Terrorism debate overshadows development issues – Kumi Naidoo

The war on terror has overshadowed efforts to reduce poverty and will slow the pace in attaining Millennium Development Goals in some Commonwealth countries, social activist Kumi Naidoo said.

Naidoo told a media seminar that global economic powers had shifted their attention

from critical developmental and poverty reduction to fund the war on terror.

"In reality, the war on terror has become a war against democracy and has legitimized human rights abuses such as torture in some countries. I am not saying we do not need to fight terrorism, but the war on terror is affecting development," said Naidoo, a South African and General Secretary of CIVICUS (the World Alliance for Citizen Participation).

Naidoo said economic strides in some countries provided a window of opportunity to attain some MDGs, but this would be not be the case in some parts of the world because of slow economic development and cash constraints by the National Treasuries.

He rated Asia some parts of highly: “Reaching MDGs might fail in Africa, there is a good balance in the Caribbean and Pacific and very good progress in Asia."

Naidoo also said the economic and gender inequality existing in many poor nations would make it difficult to Achieve MDGs.

The 19-23 November 2007seminar was convened by the Communications and Public Affairs Division through its Commonwealth Media Development Fund and the Governance and Institutional Development Division.

Secretariat Links:

• Commonwealth Media Development Fund (CMDF)