(April 9, 2003) A confidential World Bank report asserts that developed country governments have failed to provide financing they promised under the "Education for All Fast Track Initiative" (FTI) to help fund universal primary education in poor countries, the Financial Times reported on March 28. The initiative, intended to help countries meet the Millennium  Development Goal of providing primary education for all children by  2015, is suffering from a lack of financing, according to  the report.

The report was confidential, but the Financial Times obtained a copy. The report states "The biggest FTI challenge relates to financing. Current levels of funding are too low, and not sufficiently predictable to enable countries to make the medium-range plans needed to sustain momentum and to train and recruit teachers.”  The report asks donor governments to decide if they remain committed to the program.  In addition to local resources, donor support would need to increase from $1 billion to over $3 billion to insure adequate funding for the initiative. 

The donors met behind closed doors in late March to discuss the progress of the initiative.

This is the latest evidence of developed country behavior with respect to the Millennium Development Goals: supporting the goals for the developing countries, but then providing only relatively modest increases in development assistance funding to reach those goals, funding which is totally inadequate to actually reach the goals

For further information: the Education For All Fast Track Initiative website.  The Millennium Development Goals.  The original Financial Times article (not available to non-subscribers).