Publications

Implementing the 20/20 Initiative

Author: UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO and the World Bank
Price: Free
No. of pages: 30
Publication date: 1998
Publisher: UNICEF
Languages: English (French, Spanish)

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A compact between developing and industrialized countries, the 20/20 Initiative calls for the allocation of, on average, 20 per cent of the budget in developing countries and 20 per cent of official development assistance to basic social services. Important at mid-decade, the 20/20 Initiative has become ever more crucial to sustainable development, particularly in light of inadequate social outcomes in many areas, deepening poverty, continued high debt burdens, declining official development assistance and, on the positive side, the increasing prominence of human rights in development. The goal of ensuring access to basic social services for the unreached, the vulnerable and the most disadvantaged members of human society is not only morally imperative but also economically rational. The total cost, though more than $200 billion, represents less than 1 per cent of global output. This report includes charts and annexes.