BAN STRESSES ROLE OF PHILANTHROPY IN PREVENTING DEATHS FROM CHILD BIRTH, TROPICAL DISEASES

BAN STRESSES ROLE OF PHILANTHROPY IN PREVENTING DEATHS FROM CHILD BIRTH, TROPICAL DISEASES
New York, Feb 23 2009 6:00PM
The role of philanthropists and philanthropic organizations is crucial in tackling some avoidable health threats which kill millions of vulnerable people every year, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.

"Health is a foundation for prosperity, stability and poverty reduction," Mr. Ban said at the opening of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) meeting aiming at advancing progress in strengthening maternal and girls' health, as well as fighting neglected tropical diseases.

Every year more than half a million women die from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth, almost all in developing countries, he told the over 400 participants, including leaders from the business, philanthropic, academic and global health community, including companies such as IKEA, Merrill Lynch and Toyota.

At a press conference ahead of the event, Marianne Barner, who heads IKEA's Social Initiative, announced a $48 million donation to the UN Children's Fund (http://www.unicef.org/UNICEF) programme in India.

She said the funds will impact the lives of 90 million people: 80 million children and young people and 10 million women.

"This brings our total investment in India to around $120 million and our total commitment to UNICEF globally to over $180 million until 2015," added Ms. Barner.

At today's ECOSOC meeting, Mr. Ban insisted that "we must put an end to these senseless deaths," adding that "women are engines of development and drivers of improved health."

Reducing the maternal mortality rate by two-thirds is among the Millennium Development Goals (http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/), a set of internationally agreed targets aiming to slash poverty, hunger and eradicate other social ills by 2015.

"Maternal health is a critical component of the well-being of any society. Yet among all the Millennium Development Goals, this is where there has been least progress," warned the Secretary-General.

He called for the UN family and national governments to coordinate their efforts, drawing from the expertise of foundations, research centres and academia, as well the innovative spirit of the private sector and the dynamism of civil society.

Mr. Ban pointed to the example set by cutting down the incidence of malaria in many countries as a way forward with other health issues.

"By making joint efforts and strengthening coordination, the malaria community has achieved real gains. In some African countries there has been a dramatic decline in the incidence of malaria," he said.

The Secretary-General also highlighted the challenge faced by neglected tropical diseases that "afflict about one billion of the world's poorest people. Yet these diseases are largely treatable."

Controlling these diseases offers a strategy for tackling many of the conditions that promote poverty, which is especially important at the present time of economic crisis, he said.

"The economic crisis is putting at risk the unprecedented rise in public and private funding we have witnessed in recent years. The food crisis and the threat posed by climate change have profound implications for people's health and well-being," he warned.

Mr. Ban challenged participants "to think radically about how we can take our efforts to the next level and forge a truly powerful global partnership for global health."

Former United States President Bill Clinton will be offering closing remarks to the Special Event on Philanthropy and Global Public Health Agenda, which was co-organized by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and the UN Office for Partnerships (UNOP).
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GLOBAL ECONOMIC DOWNTURN IMPERILS HUMAN RIGHTS – UN

GLOBAL ECONOMIC DOWNTURN IMPERILS HUMAN RIGHTS – UN
New York, Feb 23 2009 2:00PM
The United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution today highlighting the threat posed by the global financial and economic crises on the realization of human rights and development goals.

Adopted by a vote of 31 for and 14 abstentions, the resolution <"http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/68B23EF8AD14281EC1257566004856F4?opendocument">stressed the need to set up an equitable, transparent and democratic international system to broaden developing nations' participation in decisions regarding the economy.

The 47-member body, meeting in its <"http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/specialsession/10/index.htm">10th Special Session, also expressed grave concern that the twin crises could jeopardize progress made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), eight ambitious anti-poverty targets with a 2015 deadline.

Stressing that the worldwide recession does not detract from Governments' responsibilities in promoting human rights, the Council appealed to the international community to establish and improve safety nets to protect the most vulnerable people.

An open, fair and non-discriminatory multilateral trading system could accelerate strides in development and contribute to the attainment of human rights for all, it added.

Last week, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stressed that the world's poor and disadvantaged are bearing the brunt of the suffering resulting from the current global financial crisis and ensuing economic turmoil.

Navi Pillay appealed to States and the corporate world to ensure that their policies and practices do not jeopardize people's human rights, in an address to the Council's Special Session.

She warned that the downturn in economies around the world is likely to "undermine access to work, affordability of food and housing, as well as of water, basic health care and education."

In a related development, over 100 top Government officials and representatives of workers' and employers' organizations will convene tomorrow at a meeting of the UN International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva to discuss the impact of the economic crisis on the more than 20 million people working in the financial sector worldwide.

According to an ILO report prepared for the two-day gathering, some 325,000 people in the sector have lost their jobs between August 2007 and February 2009. Nearly 40 per cent of these losses – totalling 130,000 jobs – were cut since last October, showing how job losses have gathered speed in recent months.

"As the global economy sinks further into recession, and financial institutions' assets experience even greater impairment, the industry's job losses can be expected to rise even faster," said Elizabeth Tinoco, Chief of ILO's Sectoral Activities Brance.

FOOD, CLIMATE AND FINANCIAL CRISES THREATEN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS – UN OFFICIAL

FOOD, CLIMATE AND FINANCIAL CRISES THREATEN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS – UN OFFICIAL
New York, Feb 23 2009 1:00PM
A range of challenges from food and financial crises to climate change are threatening global efforts to achieve development that is sustainable, or that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, a top United Nations official said today.

"These multi-dimensional challenges do not have purely economic solutions, nor purely social or environmental ones. They require integrated solutions that combine economic, social and environmental elements," Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Sha Zukang told a UN meeting on sustainable development that began today in New York.

He noted that food prices remain high, following on from last year's crisis, and the global financial and economic slowdown has exacerbated the situation.

"Forecasts suggest that this year could produce the worst economic record since the end of the Second World War," Mr. Sha said, noting that growth rates are falling everywhere, unemployment is rising, poverty is deepening, and hunger and malnutrition are on the increase.

In addition, the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (<"http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/">MDGs) – the set of globally agreed anti-poverty targets with a 2015 deadline – is in "jeopardy."

On top of these challenges, the international community faces the threat of climate change, which if left unaddressed will, as Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has stated, only increase poverty and hardship, he noted.

"Now is the time for the champions of sustainable development to step forward," he exhorted the gathering, which is meeting in preparation for the 17th session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, which is slated to hold its annual session in May.

All of the present crises put "a new responsibility on the Commission to provide the leadership and guidance that the world needs today," he added.

The themes on the Commission's agenda this year are agriculture, rural development, land, drought, desertification, and Africa.

"Each provides an entry point for addressing the food crisis. Each is central to the pursuit of the MDGs. Each is affected adversely by climate change as well as the global recession," he stated. "And the policy response in each of these agenda areas can contribute to the solutions of these global challenges."
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