UN anti-poverty conference winds up with eyes on prizes in 2015
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The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) summit at the UN headquarters in New York wound up on Wednesday with nearly as many solutions proposed for success as reasons for not closing in on objectives two-thirds of the way to 2015 but with an overall note of optimism.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said one thing obvious to him was "commitment." "The outcome document highlights decent work and green growth, nutrition and smallholder farming, inclusive financial service, women's health and empowerment -- all the key issues," he said.
"We saw resolve backed by resources, major concrete commitments to meet the Millennium Development Goals," he continued.
Ban was optimistic that the eight international development targets set 10 years ago would be reached by the deadline of 2015.
This, despite what he saw as a time when "tolerance is being tested, world leaders sent a message that highlights our common humanity, our common obligations, and our common future."
Ban also said despite the tough economic times most of the world was in, "We have said that the crisis is no excuse for letting up our efforts, it underscores the need for action."
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said Africa stood out above all others for needing help in meeting the goals. It is there the international community should prioritize development and poverty alleviation in the coming five years.
U.S. President Barack Obama announced during his turn at the podium a new Global Development Policy, which he called first ever to be established by the White House.
"It outlines our new approach and the new thinking that will guide our overall development efforts ... Put simply, the Unites States is changing the way we do business," said Obama.
The U.S. president said progress in even the poorest countries can advance the prosperity and security of people far beyond their borders, including for his fellow Americans.
Global development is not mere a charity and it serves the U.S. interests, said Obama, adding that it is not only a moral imperative but a strategic and economic imperative. The administration has expressed in the past its intention to add development to diplomacy and defense as the three core pillars of the American power.
"For too long, we've measured our efforts by the dollars we spent and the food and medicines we delivered. But aid alone is not development," he said. "Instead of just managing poverty, we have to offer nations and peoples a path out of poverty."
Nick Klegg, British deputy prime minister, said his country would continue to donate the promised sums of official development assistance (ODA) to developing countries despite difficult economic times domestically.
"We understand that while we are experiencing hardship on our own shores, it does not compare to the abject pain and destitution of others," he said. His new coalition government will "enshrine in law" a pledge to donate 0.7 percent of Britain's gross national income (GNI) from 2013 forward to aid.
Klegg acknowledged that Britain's reasons for issuing development aid were "not simply charity, nor are they altruism."
The world's rich countries agreed to give 0.7 percent of their gross national income as official international development aid, annually. However, only five European countries, including Norway, the Netherlands and Demark, have carried out their pledges.
"When the world is prosperous, the UK will be more prosperous," he said. "Growth in the developing world means new partners with which to trade and new sources of global growth."
Haris Silajdzic, chairman of the presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said the government was "fully committed" to tackling the MDGs domestically and had integrated them into its national development program.
"As a country that recently suffered from a major war and thereafter received significant international support for reconstruction, Bosnia and Herzegovina now has made significant efforts in order to achieve sustainability and its own responsibility," he said.
Silajdzic said territorial disputes had made it more difficult for his country to reach the MDGs.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is engaged in disputes with Croatia and Serbia over territories.
"We have not yet been able to fully realize our country's potential because our dysfunctional ethno-territorial agreements hinder our efforts and prevent us from progressing at the desirable pace," he said.
South Korean presidential envoy to the UN Han Seung-soo said it would be critical for the international community to "secure adequate, consistent and predictable financial resources for development."
The world continues to progress toward the goals, he said, adding, "However, we must continue to address the unmet and under-met targets across sectors, countries and regions so that we can break the syndrome of 'where you live determines how you live," he said.
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