ECONOMIC AND FOOD CRISES THREATEN RECENT DEVELOPMENT GAINS – UN REPORT

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on rich and poor nations to boost efforts to fight poverty and hunger after a new United Nations report shows that recent advances are being threatened by the global economic and food crises.

The report, launched today in Geneva by Mr. Ban, warns that, despite many successes, overall progress has been too slow for most of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – the globally agreed targets to halve poverty, hunger and a host of other social and economic ills – to be achieved by the target date of 2015.

"This year's Millennium Development Goals Report delivers a message that should not surprise us but which we must take to heart: the current economic environment makes achieving the goals even more difficult," Mr. Ban told the high-level segment of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

The Secretary-General noted that higher food prices in 2008 have reversed the nearly two-decade trend in reducing hunger. In addition, momentum to reduce overall poverty in the developing world is slowing; tens of millions of people have been pushed into joblessness and greater vulnerability; and some countries stand to miss their poverty reduction goals.

Further, the target for eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005 has already been missed, he noted. Meanwhile, 1.4 billion people must gain access to improved sanitation by 2015 in order to achieve the sanitation target.

"We have been moving too slowly to meet our goals," said Mr. Ban. "Yet the report also shows that when we have the right policies, backed by adequate funding and strong political commitment, actions can yield impressive results."

The new publication, based on data from over 20 organizations both within and outside the UN system, is considered the most comprehensive global MDG assessment to date. It finds, among other things, that the number of people living on less than $1.25 a day decreased from 1.8 billion to 1.4 billion in the period from 1990 to 2005.

However, major gains in the fight against extreme poverty are likely to stall, indicators show, although data are not yet available to reveal the full impact of the recent economic downturn. In
2009, an estimated 55 million to 90 million more people will be living in extreme poverty than anticipated before the crisis.

At the same time, the Secretary-General noted that the report does show some progress. Fewer people today are dying of AIDS and many countries are implementing proven strategies to combat malaria and measles, two major killers of children.

"We are edging closer to universal primary education. We are well on our way to meeting the safe drinking water target," he said. "We can and must build on these foundations.

"In Africa and across the developing world, we have abundant evidence that aid can help transform lives. But delays in delivering aid, combined with the financial crisis and climate change, are slowing progress," he stated.

Mr. Ban recalled that the Group of Eight (G8) and Group of 20 (G20) nations have made specific commitments to increase financial and technical support to developing countries by 2010 to achieve the MDGs.

"Those commitments include raising annual aid flows to Africa, yet aid remains at least $20 billion below the Gleneagles targets," he noted. "I urge the G8 to set out, country by country, how donors will scale up aid to Africa over the next year."

The Secretary-General also urged donor countries to meet existing pledges on aid for trade, a crucial component in improving trade competitiveness of developing country producers and exporters.

Speaking at the World Trade Organization (WTO) Second Global Review on Aid for Trade, also in Geneva, he noted that the aid for trade initiative has made good progress in the three years since its launch. The April G20 Summit pledge of $250 billion for trade financing could lead to a significant increase in the $25 billion that aid for trade received in 2007.

However, the global financial and economic crisis has had a severe impact on demand, and it is now widely predicted that global trade will decline by 10 per cent this year, he added. "Unless the direction of the crisis is reversed soon, it will further unravel the progress that developing countries have made over the past two decades in reducing poverty."

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SOME PROGRESS IN HAITI AMID SECURITY, DEVELOPMENT DIFFICULTIES – UN TEAM

SOME PROGRESS IN HAITI AMID SECURITY, DEVELOPMENT DIFFICULTIES – UN TEAM
New York, May 14 2009 4:00PM
The challenge facing Haiti of achieving stability and economic recovery remains great, especially after a year of damaging setbacks, but the impoverished nation has seen significant progress in the last two years, the head of a United Nations team that visited the country said today.

"Last year was an extraordinarily difficult year for the country with the devastation wrought by four hurricanes, the rise in food prices and of oil prices," Ambassador John McNee of Canada told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York

But he noted that the improving security situation and the continued recruitment and training of the Haitian national police were encouraging signs for the future.

"The public opinion polls in Haiti recently suggested very considerable confidence amongst the populace in the police," stressed Mr. McNee, who led the Ad Hoc Advisory Group of the Economic and Social Council (<"http://www.un.org/ecosoc/">ECOSOC) on a four-day trip to Haiti in early May.

The group's main task was to assess progress towards economic and social development and reinforce the UN's long-term commitment to the people of Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

The ECOSOC delegation also examined the procedures for the coordination of international aid to Haiti, and Mr. McNee urged donors and aid organizations to ensure their assistance is consistent with the National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty Document.

He highlighted meetings with President René Préval and Prime Minister Michèle Pierre-Louis, who he said are "determined to try and take the country forward."

A broad partnership that includes the Government and people of Haiti, the UN and all its funds and programmes, and other international partners was vital to promote recovery and stability in the country, he concluded.

"Haiti merits and needs the continued attention and engagement of the international community."
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WORLD CRISIS CALLS FOR NEW ECONOMIC GOVERNANCE PARTNERSHIP – UN OFFICIAL

WORLD CRISIS CALLS FOR NEW ECONOMIC GOVERNANCE PARTNERSHIP – UN OFFICIAL
New York, Mar 9 2009 9:00PM

The "enormous challenges" facing the world present a unique opportunity to forge a new partnership for governance of the world economy, the chief of the United Nations' development arm told a meeting of advisers that opened in New York today.

The Committee for Development Policy – consisting of 24 experts with diverse development experience who advise the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) – opened its 11th session today, focusing on the achievement of international goals in public health.

In his opening remarks to the body, Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs said that the worst economic crises since the great depression have thrown many more people into poverty.

"But they also present a unique opportunity for the United Nations and, in particular, the Economic and Social Council, to provide leadership in addressing the crisis," he said,

For that purpose, he told the Committee, "the quality and relevance of the work of ECOSOC need to be strengthened further. In this effort, your expert advice is indispensable."

In the area of public health, he noted that developing countries have recently made significant strides towards achieving the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), ambitious targets to slash poverty and other ills by 2015.

He noted, however, that there are still large gaps between what has been achieved and what still needs to be achieved, and the Committee's focus – on persistent inequalities in healthcare – is very timely.

"It is not acceptable that a child has a significantly higher probability of dying before reaching the age of five simply because he or she was born to a poorer family or in a poor country," he said, calling for new donor approaches to the problem.

Turning to the triennial review of the list of Least Developed Countries (LDCs), with which the Committee is also tasked, he acknowledged that both joining and exiting the category seem to provoke a great deal of agitation for countries.

For that reason, he welcomed the dialogue the Committee has held with countries potentially affected by its recommendations, including Equatorial Guinea, Kiribati, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

In that light, he invited Committee members to propose ways by which development partners could further ease the transition out of the category, by reducing the uncertainty caused by the phasing out of special support measures available to LDCs.

"In other words, their vulnerability must be reduced and their graduation must be durable," he said.

The 11th session of the Committee for Development Policy runs through 13 March.
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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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