Paying the Price (Summary) : Why Rich Countries Must Invest Now in a War on Poverty

Progress towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals has fallen far short of the promises made in 2000.

At the current rate, all but one of them will certainly be missed.

The cost of failure will be high: 45 million more children will die between now and 2015 than would be the case if the world met the goal to reduce child mortality.

The time for action is running out. 2005 offers an historic opportunity for rich countries to make good on their promises to finance the Goals effectively - and those promises are easily affordable. In 2005, the 'Global Call for Action Against Poverty' coalition will unite a huge range of groups from South and North, including national and regional civil-society networks, trade unions, faith communities, and international organisations, with a call for world leaders to make poverty history. This summerises the report that forms part of Oxfam's contribution to the global campaign, making a convincing, well-illustrated argument about the need to meet the MDGs, and giving recommendations for an agenda for change.