German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday warned a UN summit that aid to poorer nations cannot be open-ended, while Cuba, Iran and Zimbabwe blamed the West for the developing world's ills. Merkel's keynote speech on the second day of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) anti-poverty summit called for more emphasis on good governance by developing nations.
"Development aid cannot continue indefinitely. The task therefore is to use limited resources as effectively as possible. This can only work through good governance which taps that country's potential," she said. "There is one thing we have to accept. The primary responsibility for development lies with the governments of the developing countries," Merkel added.
"It is in their hands whether aid can be effective. Therefore, support to good governance is as important as aid itself." Merkel insisted that development assistance cannot be a substitute for the use of national resources to strengthen economies. She said poorer nations must make greater efforts to promote a market economy and small businesses. "Without self-sustaining economic growth, developing countries will find the road out of poverty and hunger to steep to climb."
The controversial Zimbabwe leader followed soon after Merkel and blamed what he called "illegal and debilitating sanctions" for his country's failure to cut poverty and hunger. He is now in an uneasy power-sharing government with opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, now the prime minister. "We find it disturbing and regrettable that after we all agreed to work towards the improvement of the lives of our citizens, some countries should deliberately work to negate our efforts," Mugabe said.