Observations on the Sachs Report: How Do We Attain the Millennium Development Goals?

The AIV greatly values the enthusiasm and energy with which the Sachs Report has been written. Nevertheless, the writers of the report have clearly struggled with a number of dilemmas. They strongly urge developing countries and the international donor community to take up their responsibilities. Yet they are not always clear about how this should relate to the external targeting of local development processes which the report also advocates. A second dilemma is the need to set priorities despite the wide-ranging nature of the poverty problem. A third dilemma involves financing.