TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION CAN HELP EXPAND EDUCATION FOR ALL – UN OFFICIAL

Making use of the latest information and communication technology (ICT) and innovation can help countries expand educational opportunities for all in a way that also advances development, a senior United Nations official said today.

"Technology and innovation are keys to accelerating progress towards the ;MDGs, particularly in countries that are falling behind," Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs told the Global Forum on ICT and innovation for Education, referring to the eight anti-poverty targets with a 2015 deadline.

The latest update on the MDGs shows that progress has so far been mixed, he noted at the event in the Mexican city of Monterrey.

With some six years remaining before 2015, some goals are on target. For example, enrolment in primary education has risen from 83 per cent in 2000 to 88 per cent in 2007, and child mortality is steadily decreasing.

At the same time, the current global downturn risks reversing some of the positive trends, he added, noting that an estimated 55 to 90 million more people will fall below the poverty line.

"Education is the foundation of a modern and thriving economy," Mr. Sha stated. "It empowers poor and marginalized communities and enables them to contribute to economic and social development.

"ICT and innovation can open up new opportunities for both expanding the reach and improving the quality of education in developing regions, by providing practical and enabling solutions to current problems."

He said the advent of universally accessible information, the rapid development of next generation networks and multi-lingual software, low-cost hardware, new mobile platforms and other innovations "all present a real opportunity to developing countries to employ ICT to lift the quality of education and make it universally accessible."

The key to putting ICT to use in schools and colleges – where the main obstacles are the high cost of connectivity and computers and the lack of qualified teachers – is affordable connectivity, low-cost computing devices and applications that can be used for education and other services, he said, adding that training of instructors should go hand in hand with advances in access and connectivity.
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UN SOUNDS ALARM ON THREAT TO PACIFIC NATIONS’ SECURITY POSED BY CLIMATE CHANGE

With rising sea levels threatening to inundate Pacific Island nations, United Nations officials have issued a call for urgent action to be taken to ensure that human security and development gains are not reversed.

"We recognize climate change to be a critical development challenge with enormous implications for the entire range of development concerns: poverty, livelihoods, food security, conflict and social cohesion, to name a few," Ajay Chhibber, Director of the Asia and the Pacific Regional Bureau of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), said at the two-day 40th Pacific Leaders Forum in Cairns, Australia, which ends today.

Mr. Chhibber also warned that during the current financial turmoil, global warming could potentially reverse "hard-won development gains in the region, which could compromise our collective ability to achieve the Millennium Development Goals [that seek to slash poverty, hunger and a host of other social ills by 2015] and plans for a prosperous, peaceful and secure region."

The Pacific region is one of the most disaster-prone areas in the world, with natural hazards likely to worsen as the planet's temperature rises.

Some villagers in Kiribati have already been forced from their homes by rising sea levels, but officials have cautioned that relocation could spark conflict due to traditional land rights.

It is clear that climate change "adds to the scale and complexity of human movement and displacement in the region," said Richard Towle, the Regional Representative for Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the Pacific for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

"We need to act now if we are to find solutions for people whose homes, lands and livelihoods are, as we speak, being destroyed by rising sea levels and violent fluctuations in weather patterns in the region," he added.

In a bid to quell potential climate change-driven conflicts before they erupt, UNDP is helping to set up a new programme in the Pacific region in partnership with other organizations in the area.

The "Interface between Climate Change, Disasters and Potential for Conflict in the Pacific" initiative seeks to boost national and regional groups' ability to prevent and manage violent conflicts triggered by global warming.

"Climate change is increasing the severity and frequency of disasters, which are causing displacement, livelihood insecurity and increasing instability," according to Jean-Luc Stalon, senior regional advisor on Crisis Prevention and Recovery at UNDP's Pacific Centre in Suva, Fiji.

"We need to focus on integrating climate change risks into conflict prevention efforts – before it is too late and too costly," he warned.

In his message to the Forum, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced yesterday that the UN is establishing a new system to mitigate the impact of the global economic crisis on poorer countries, such as those in the Pacific region that are already being hobbled by climate change.

"The full repercussions (of the economic crisis) have yet to be felt, but already we know we must do our utmost to prevent the unfavourable economic climate from undermining our efforts to fight climate change and achieve the Millennium Development Goals," Mr. Ban said.

"For the Pacific, the downturn is likely to hit hard, limiting resources for development, leading to job losses and a decline in exports, and creating a risk of instability," he added in the message, delivered by Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

The new Global Impact and Vulnerability Alert System will allow the world body "to better track the impact of the crisis – and thereby better respond."

Noting that climate change is at the top of the Forum's agenda, the Secretary-General called on participants to enhance efforts to 'seal the deal' at the international meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December which will strive to reach a new pact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

"Toward that end, I urge you to attend the climate summit that I will be convening next month in New York, and use that gathering to create the political momentum we need for an agreement," he said.
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CHILDREN’S SCHOOLING UNDER THREAT FROM DEEPENING POVERTY, WARNS UN OFFICIAL

Poverty is the biggest threat to the educational development of children around the world, a senior United Nations official today warned hundreds of students gathered for the start of the first ever Global Model UN (GMUN) conference.

"Poverty, like conflict, today continues to deprive young people of the opportunity and right to be educated," UN Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information Kiyo Akasaka told over 500 student delegates meeting at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

Some "72 million children are out of school, denied the right to education," despite passing the mid-way point for reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a series of targets set by world leaders – including the slashing of poverty and the achievement of universal primary education – by 2015, noted Mr. Akasaka.

He said that any progress in the eradication of hunger had been reversed largely due to last year's hike in food and fuel prices, and that an estimated 55 to 90 million more people were forced into extreme poverty in 2009 – a forecast calculated before the current economic crisis took hold.

With more than 1 billion people around the world trapped in poverty, many nations in Africa and Asia are not on track to achieve the MDGs, said Mr. Akasaka. "The global financial and economic crises are hitting the poorest and the most vulnerable hardest of all.

"Poverty is the number one enemy of children," Mr. Akasaka stressed in his address to the students, who represent 120 of the 192 UN Member States. "Poverty is the number one enemy of a decent society. We must stand up and fight against poverty."

The Under-Secretary-General said that the challenges faced in achieving the MDGs are "great, daunting and humbling," and that it would take enormous multilateral efforts to solve them.

"That is why governments are taking collective action to address them, including through the United Nations, the world's only truly universal organization," he said.

"Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has repeatedly urged nations not to lose sight of the Goals," said Mr. Akasaka, highlighting the Secretary-General's call "to accelerate progress towards the MDGs and to strengthen the global partnership for development."

Mr. Akasaka said that civil society also plays a critical role in these efforts and young people are making important contributions around the world to the achievement of the MDGs.

"Many campaigns that raise awareness and focus on reaching specific Millennium Development Goals have been initiated by young people. At a time when young people are often the ones hardest hit by poverty, there is no one better to speak on behalf of youth people than the young themselves."

Mr. Akasaka reminded delegates that efforts to achieve the MDGs are closely connected to those combating global warming. "Climate change is the challenge of our – and your – generation," he said. "In tackling the climate challenge, we will find solutions for economic recovery, food security for the poor, and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals."

Encouraging delegates to join the UN campaign pressing governments to "seal the deal" on a "fair, balanced and effective agreement on climate change" when they meet at the UN Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen in December, Mr. Akasaka said that as "pioneers of GMUN, you are living history and you will become legends. We would not be here without the help of so many."

Delegates at the inaugural three-day GMUN conference, organized by the UN Department of Public Information (DPI) with partial funding from Switzerland, were chosen from regional model UN programmes.
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MONGOLIA A ‘ROLE MODEL’ FOR OTHER DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, BAN SAYS

Mongolia is "a role model for many developing countries," making progress in the fight against poverty, successfully transiting to democracy and taking an active role in United Nations peacekeeping missions, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.

Accepting an honorary doctorate from the National University of Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar, the capital, Mr. Ban said his three-day visit to the landlocked Asian nation – which concluded today – had shown him that it was "devoted to the values and principles of the UN."

The Secretary-General praised Mongolia for making "a successful transition to democracy and a market economy with an accountable and responsive Government" in a relatively short period.

"You have not only made progress here at home, you have leveraged your experience to show leadership on democracy at the global level. You have made good progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and have set an example globally by placing these goals at the heart of your national development planning.

"You have also demonstrated your clear commitment to a world free of nuclear weapons, and have led by example, working to institutionalize your unique nuclear-weapon free status."

Mr. Ban, who held talks with President Elbegdorj Tsakhia, Prime Minister Bayar Sanj and Foreign Minister Batbold Sukhbaatar during his trip, stressed again that the world's countries must "seal the deal" in Copenhagen, Denmark, on a new pact to slash greenhouse gas emissions.

He noted that any deal must include provisions for poorer countries, such as landlocked developing States like Mongolia, to receive assistance to adapt to climate change.
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UN AGENCY LAUNCHES SCHEME IN IRAQ TO IMPROVE BASIC SERVICES, HOUSING

A $70 million urban development plan aimed at bolstering the delivery of basic services and provision of housing for Iraq's poor and most vulnerable was jointly launched today by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) and the country's Government.

The project, of which $49 million remains unfunded, focuses on providing Government ministries and local authorities with technical assistance and capacity-building support in the areas of urban governance, housing, infrastructure and basic services.

"This is a historical moment in marking the partnership between the Government of Iraq and UN-HABITAT," said Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director of UN-HABITAT, in a televised address, reminding the international community of its obligation to help Iraq meet the social and economic targets set out in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Naeema al-Gasseer, acting UN Resident Coordinator in Iraq, said that the UN is "increasingly engaged in ensuring a high level of consultation and concrete action with the Government of Iraq to rebuild housing throughout the country and further develop Iraq's urban planning infrastructure with an emphasis on overcoming climate change challenges."

"Hand in hand with Iraq, the UN's goal will be to continue improving the lives of ordinary Iraqis," Ms. Al-Gasseer added.

The launch of the UN-HABITAT Iraq Country Programme for 2009-2011, in cooperation with the Ministry of Planning and Development Cooperation, was attended by several senior representatives of Iraqi ministries, representatives of the international community in Baghdad, including UN agencies and donors.
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ECONOMIC CRISIS ROLLING BACK ASIA’S DEVELOPMENT GAINS – UN OFFICIAL

The economic crisis is rolling back the significant progress made to date in Asia and the Pacific in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015 – according to a senior United Nations official.

Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), said her organization has responded to the crisis by encouraging policies that include social programmes such as health coverage, pensions, education and agricultural extension services, as well as investment in small and medium scale enterprises.

"The huge scale of government spending in the pipeline in many countries offers an unprecedented opportunity to design development policies that will bring about more inclusive and sustainable development," Ms. Heyzer said during the course of the substantive session of the UN Economic and Social Council, which is currently taking place in Geneva.

"Pro-poor policies aimed at strengthening social protection systems not only create the social foundations for more inclusive societies, they free up spending of consumers. In other words social protection systems also make good economic sense."

She added that financial stimulus packages and reforms could help create a more integrated and coordinated Asia and the Pacific that builds upon collective regional strengths and resources.

In addition, she highlighted the need for appropriate investments in infrastructure to create economic corridors that link less developed countries to economic centres in the region, thereby increasing intra-regional trade.

As a result, the recovery of larger economies like China, India and the Republic of Korea will have "greater reciprocal positive spin offs" for their smaller neighbours.

Ms. Heyzer noted that ESCAP has sought to provide its member States with the necessary strategic analysis, policy options and technical assistance.

"Our flagship publication, the Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2009, provides a compelling analytical basis for the policy reforms that the region will need to collectively implement in response to the economic crisis," she said.

The report predicts that developing nations in the region will see their growth drop from 5.8 per cent last year to 3 per cent this year, with as many as 23 million people – particularly women in the manufacturing sector – potentially losing their jobs.

For its part, the Asian Development Bank estimates that the number of poor people in Asia and the Pacific could climb by 60 million in 2009 and approach 100 million by 2010, thwarting the region's achievement of the MDGs.
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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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ON INTERNATIONAL DAY, BAN URGES GREATER EFFORTS TO CURB ILLICIT DRUG TRAFFICKING

Marking the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for stepped up aid and tightening the rule of law to halt the cultivation, production and trafficking of illicit drugs.

This year is the centenary of drug control, with the Opium Commission having met in Shanghai, China, 100 years ago to bring an end to an opium epidemic, and Mr. Ban said that in more recent years, United Nations conventions have played a role in tackling the challenge of drug abuse and curbing its "terrible toll" on people worldwide.

"Drug abuse can be prevented, treated and controlled," he said in his message for the International Day, appealing to Member States to incorporate drug treatment into their public health programmes.

He also called for the full implementation of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, as well as the UN Convention against Corruption, which can "help in the effort to prevent and control drug-related crime that is posing a serious security threat in many parts of the world."

In countries vulnerable to drug trafficking, increased development assistance and bolstering the rule of law are required, the Secretary-General said. "Absent these essentials, these states risk instability and will face even greater challenges in reaching the Millennium Development Goals [MDGs]," he added, referring to the eight anti-poverty targets, agreed on by world leaders, which have a 2015 deadline.

Earlier this week, the head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) cautioned that in the face of an increasingly brutal struggle for a bigger slice of the $50 billion global cocaine market between Central American drug cartels, legalizing narcotics would be an "historic mistake."

Antonio Maria Costa, the agency's Executive Director, called for a global boost in drug treatment and crime control, launching the UNODC's 2009 World Drug Report.

"Societies should not have to choose between protecting public health or public security. They can, and should, do both," he said in a call for more resources for drug prevention and treatment, and stronger measures to fight drug-related crime.
Over 40 per cent of the world's cocaine is seized, mostly in Colombia, compared to less than 20 per cent of opiates – opium, morphine and heroin – captured, according to the World Drug Report.
In West Africa, a major transportation hub for trafficking to Europe, a decline in seizures seems to reflect lower cocaine flows after five years of rapid growth, the report said.
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COCA COLA, MICROSOFT BOOST PROFITS WHILE PROMOTING AFRICAN, ASIAN DEVELOPMENT – UN

Coca Cola and Microsoft are among dozens of companies which are adding to their bottom line while helping Africa and Asia meet their development targets as part of a United Nations-backed scheme.

Global business leaders gathered in Cape Town, South Africa, today to celebrate the first anniversary of the Business Call to Action International Partnership, which was launched in May 2008 in London by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and Prime Minister Gordon Brown of the United Kingdom.

The programme "builds upon the enlightened self-interest of the private sector to find financial gains while contributing to development and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals [MDGs]," said Bruce Jenks, Director of UNDPs' Partnership Bureau, referring to the eight anti-poverty targets with a 2015 deadline.

"At a time when global business leaders are facing difficult decisions about how to manage growing costs and dwindling profits, it is even more important for companies to boldly explore business models that include the poor in their core strategies," he added.

In just its first year, over 60 CEOs have signed on to the Business Call to Action Declaration, committing their companies to invest in ending poverty.

So far, 18 companies – including PepsiCo and Cadbury – have launched initiatives creating thousands of new jobs, setting up hundreds of small independent businesses and boosting trade and sourcing from Africa and Asia.

Coca Cola has created 700 small distribution centres in Africa, generating 4,500 new jobs, while Microsoft has launched its Students to Business Programme in Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Nigeria, Kenya and Senegal.

For its part, Cisco Systems is currently establishing several Connected Community Research Centres in Kenya to bring many affordable services to local residents, and SABMiller is trying to double the amount of barley it sources from India, in an initiative benefiting 7,500 farmers.
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TOP UN OFFICIAL CALLS FOR DEVELOPMENT ‘NEW DEAL’

TOP UN OFFICIAL CALLS FOR DEVELOPMENT 'NEW DEAL'
New York, May 26 2009 7:00PM
The current global economic crisis – the deepest in decades – has underscored the need for a "new deal" for development that addresses both climate change and poverty, the head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said today.

The worldwide financial turmoil is exacerbating the effects of high food and energy prices which drove as many as 200 million people into extreme poverty in recent years, said <"http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2009/may/helen-clark-statement-at-the-annual-session-of-the-executive-board.en">UNDP Administrator Helen Clark.

"Alas, those least responsible for the crisis stand to bear the brunt of its impact over the longer term," she told the annual session of the Executive Board of UNDP and the UN Population Fund (<"http://www.unfpa.org/public/">UNFPA).

Simultaneously, the world's poorest are also bearing the brunt of climate change, linked to the world's unsustainable use of natural resources, said Miss Clark, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand.

"These global problems reflect our interdependence, and they require global solutions," she stated, calling for a multilateral system that will boost the standard of living for the most vulnerable people and ensure their voices are taken into account by decision-makers.

The financial crisis, the Administrator said in her first address to the Executive Board since assuming her position earlier this year, is threatening to roll back gains made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (<"http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/">MDGs), eight ambitious anti-poverty targets with a 2015 deadline.

For example, some sub-Saharan African nations are on target to meet some of the MDGs, but not all by 2015, and the recession could drive up the number of people living in extreme poverty in the region, she noted.

Despite aid commitments for Africa made by donor nations, the pledges remain unfulfilled, Miss Clark said, voicing hope that this year's meeting of the Group of Eight (G-8) industrialized nations will mobilize resources.

The global response to climate change should also be folded into development, she said.

Countries are expected to conclude a new pact on curbing greenhouse gas emissions, to replace the Kyoto Protocol whose first commitment period ends in 2012, at a UN conference in Copenhagen later this year.

"To this end, UNDP must step up its work this year to support developing countries achieve an outcome at Copenhagen in December which is consistent with designing a sustainable path out of poverty and for achieving the MDGs," the Administrator said. "The deal to be sealed at Copenhagen must be a development deal, too."
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CHILD DEATHS DROP BY NEARLY 30 PER CENT, SAYS UN HEALTH AGENCY

CHILD DEATHS DROP BY NEARLY 30 PER CENT, SAYS UN HEALTH AGENCY
New York, May 21 2009 11:00AM
Deaths of children under five years of age have plummeted by almost one third since 1990, the United Nations World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/en/">WHO) <"http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/notes/2009/millennium_development_goals_20090521/en/index.html">said today, while cautioning that greater action is necessary to achieve similar success in other areas, in particular maternal and newborn health.

Some 9 million children under the age of five died in 1997, marking a sharp decline from the 12.5 million estimated to have died in 1990, according to "World Health Statistics," WHO's first progress report on the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – the eight globally-agreed anti-poverty targets with a 2015 deadline.

"The decline in the death toll of children under five illustrates what can be achieved by strengthening health systems and scaling up interventions, such as insecticide-treated mosquito nets for malaria and oral rehydration therapy for diarrhoea, increased access to vaccines and improved water and sanitation in developing countries," said Ties Boerma, Director of WHO's Department of Health Statistics and Informatics.

But the new study, which is based on over 100 health indicators collected from WHO's 193 Member States, cautioned that in many African nations and in low-income countries, the fourth MDG – slashing child mortality by two-thirds – may not be met.

Dr. Boerma said that while encouraging progress has been made at the half-way point to the 2015 deadline, "there needs to be more effort to strengthen health systems in countries affected by high levels of HIV/AIDS, economic hardship or conflict."

Additionally, he called for greater attention to be paid to the poorest groups within countries where progress is slowest and child mortality remains high.

Maternal and newborn health has seen almost no improvement, Dr. Boerma said, with nearly 40 per cent of deaths among children under five occurring in the first month, even first week, of life. "While the data are patchy and incomplete, it appears that the regions with the least progress are those where levels of maternal mortality are highest."

Boosting these rates will involve addressing weak health systems, emerging health threats such as pandemics, and climate change, he added.

BAN CALLS FOR NEW WAYS TO FINANCE DEVELOPMENT AMID ECONOMIC TURMOIL

BAN CALLS FOR NEW WAYS TO FINANCE DEVELOPMENT AMID ECONOMIC TURMOIL
New York, May 19 2009 5:00PM
The global recession is eroding traditional forms of financing growth in the poorer nations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned today, as he addressed a meeting in Geneva tasked with finding creative alternatives to funding development.

In his opening <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=3867">remarks to the I-8 Meeting on Innovative Financing for Development, Mr. Ban noted that as economies shrink, official development assistance (ODA) from governments come under tighter budgetary pressures.

He said that falling commodity prices, shrinking private investments and the slashing of overseas remittances underscore the importance of innovative financing solutions for development.

"Innovative financing must help to bridge the gap between what is available and what we need to reach the Millennium Development Goals [MDGs]," said Mr. Ban, referring to the eight internationally agreed anti-poverty targets with a 2015 deadline. "The economic crisis makes that job even harder."

Innovative financing, identified at the UN Conference on Financing for Development in 2002 in Monterrey, Mexico, aims to find sustainable sources of funding that do not substitute ODA.

Since the Monterrey gathering, hundreds of millions of dollars have been raised through innovative financing initiatives such as (Product) Red, a consumer-based fundraising effort which raises funds to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

Highlighting World Bank forecasts of another 45 million falling into extreme poverty this year on top of the 130 million people plunged into poverty in 2008, Mr. Ban stressed the urgent need "to strengthen and scale up existing innovative mechanisms, and explore new ones."

Of the major initiatives launched to help achieve the MDGs since the Monterrey Conference, eight of them (the I-8 group) convened at today's gathering.

"I hope that by coordinating an I-8 group, as was done for the H-8 for health, we will learn faster from each other's experiences and stimulate best practices across institutions and initiatives," said Mr. Ban.

He said that it was critical to ensure that future initiatives, whether new ideas or continuing current schemes, are implemented quickly and successfully.
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More Than 3 Million People Suffer From Food Crisis In Nepal: Report.

"A crucial government report has reckoned that 40 percent of the population in the mountain and hill districts [of Nepal]... is suffering through a severe food crisis. The numbers affected, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives (MoAC), stands at 3.35 million, out a total of 8.4 million people living in these areas. A report released by the MoAC on Wednesday has stated that Nepal is running short of 132,916 tons of food grains, and this despite the rise in rice and maize production, by 5.2 percent and 2.8 percent this year respectively, compared to last year...." [Xinhua/Factiva]

Voice of America adds that "...the ongoing political instability is hard felt in a food-deficit country that is already vulnerable to food insecurity and malnutrition....World Food Program (WFP) Country Director Richard Ragan says Nepal's recent political chaos has 'thrown fuel on the fire,' in a country already suffering from massive food shortages. Recent parliamentary disruption has the WFP working overtime to find non-governmental ways to continue to feed two million of Nepal's most needy citizens...." [Voice of America/Factiva]

In related news, Trend News Agency reports that "...UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday urged Member States to agree on a set of decisions that will revitalize agriculture, support small farmers and promote food security for all.... The international community, he said, must offer short-term emergency measures to meet critical needs. But it must also make longer-term investments to promote food production and agricultural development, enhance food security and maintain and accelerate momentum towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)...." [Trend News Agency (Azerbaijan)/Factiva]

UN PARTNERS WITH FILMMAKERS TO GIVE VOICE TO WOMEN SUFFERING IN SILENCE

UN PARTNERS WITH FILMMAKERS TO GIVE VOICE TO WOMEN SUFFERING IN SILENCE
New York, May 14 2009 3:00PM
There are women around the world suffering violence or the oppression of poverty who remain silent and invisible, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today told the opening of an international documentary filmmakers' forum aimed at bringing their stories into focus.

"Over the next two days you will watch and discuss documentaries on women and the Millennium Development Goals [<"http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/">MDGs]," Mr. Ban <"http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocus/sgspeeches/statments_full.asp?statID=487">said at the inaugural <I>Envision: Addressing Global Issues through Documentaries</I> forum in New York.

Among the screenings are films showing how a Liberian woman "braved the tide of hate that was sweeping over" her war-torn country by bringing women together to sing for peace; how micro-credit is helping women climb out of poverty; and the struggles of girls and women in strongly patriarchal and traditional societies.

"We will also experience the suffering of a young girl in South Africa, victim of a vicious rape," noted Mr. Ban. "We will witness the healing support she received, how she was encouraged to give voice to her pain, and how that helped to identify her attacker."

The <I>Envision</I> forum, co-sponsored by the UN Department of Public Information (DPI) and the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), gathers the global movie-making community, entrepreneurs, activists, journalists, public policy makers and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with UN experts.

This year's discussions will focus on the MDGs, a set of eight internationally agreed anti-poverty targets with a 2015 deadline, and their impact on women.

"Declaring these goals has galvanized an unprecedented level of support," noted Mr. Ban. "We have made considerable progress, but there is still much work to do."

Underscoring the need to increase awareness about MDGs, the Secretary-General recently launched the <"http://www.un.org/en/creative/">UN Creative Community Outreach Initiative, which acts as a liaison between the Organization and producers, directors, writers, and new media professionals who want to inform the public about critical global issues.

The Secretary-General called on the "many gifted storytellers in our community to help us tell our stories," and to help the UN "shine a light on these important issues."

He added that the <I>Envision</I> film and discussion series is one of his initiative's first projects and that he was confident it would make an impact.
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BAN URGES STEPS TO REVITALIZE AGRICULTURE, ENSURE FOOD SECURITY FOR ALL

BAN URGES STEPS TO REVITALIZE AGRICULTURE, ENSURE FOOD SECURITY FOR ALL
New York, May 13 2009 2:00PM
Warning that the global food crisis is far from over, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged Member States to agree on a set of decisions that will revitalize agriculture, support small farmers and promote food security for all.

"The food crisis is not yet behind us. Indeed, it may have widened its scope," Mr. Ban told the opening of the high-level segment of the Commission on Sustainable Development in New York.

The two-week session of the Commission, which began last week, is expected to culminate in policy decisions in areas such as agriculture, rural development, land, drought, desertification and Africa.

Mr. Ban said that high food prices mean 100 million people in low-income countries are at risk of joining the ranks of the malnourished. As a result, the World Food Programme (WFP) will need to increase its budget from $500 million to $750 million to maintain its operations.

At the same time, he noted that there is broad-based international support for addressing this issue. In particular, he was pleased with the Commission's initiative to convene a ministerial roundtable on a sustainable green revolution for Africa.

"Investing in an African green revolution will serve not just food security but progress across all the Millennium Development Goals, including environmental sustainability," he said, referring to the set of anti-poverty targets global leaders have pledged to try to achieve by 2015, known as the MDGs.

"To achieve a Green Revolution, African farmers, must have access to land and security of tenure. They also need access to markets, technology and improved infrastructure," he stated, adding that this includes women farmers.

In the midst of a global recession, things can deteriorate "frighteningly fast," the Secretary-General pointed out, saying "it is but a short step from hunger to starvation, from disease to death."

The international community, he said, must offer short-term emergency measures to meet critical needs. But it must also make longer-term investments to promote food production and agricultural development, enhance food security and maintain and accelerate momentum towards the MDGs.

"The decisions taken here must help to revitalize agriculture and support the productivity and resilience of small farmers, in particular, to achieve food security for all," Mr. Ban told delegates.
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UN ENVIRONMENT CHIEF CALLS ON GOVERNMENTS TO INVEST IN ‘NEW GREEN DEAL’

The head of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has called on governments to invest a significant amount of their $3 trillion-worth of stimulus packages in a new "green economy" to defeat the crises facing the world.

Governments must play their part in shaping and focusing markets to deliver long-term environmental benefits if the world is to surmount the current food, fuel, financial and economic crises it faces, said UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner in a speech at Tel Aviv University yesterday.

Mr. Steiner told the audience that time and again resource-efficient, low-carbon and environmentally friendly products and processes have failed to make their way out of research laboratories. "The market failed to read the writing on the wall or see the climate and energy security street signs coming up fast on the international highway."

He noted that the oil crisis of the late 1970s and early 1980s saw around $1 billion of investment into research and development in solar powered energy halving the cost per unit of electricity, not enough for commercialization.

"The oil price dropped and so did widespread enthusiasm for solar power. Only now are generation prices beginning to fall towards competitiveness [but] we have wasted nearly three precious decades," he added.

He noted, however, a UNEP Policy Brief for a Global Green New Deal, which highlights the benefits of investing a significant amount of proposed government economic stimulus money on five key sectors from renewable energy to sustainable transport.

"The question now is how will the around $3 trillion-worth of stimulus packages be spent-on the old brown economy or a new green one that might set the stage for a truly sustainable century?" asked Mr. Steiner.

The Brief – developed with economists, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) among others – spotlights how some economies, including China, Korea, the United States and the United Kingdom, have already committed part of their stimulus packages to green investments.

Mr. Steiner stressed that investing 1 per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP) into five key sectors could be key to a "Global Green New Deal."

These areas include raising the energy efficiency of old and new buildings, as well as investing in renewable energies including wind, solar, geothermal and biomass.
The three other areas are sustainable transport including hybrid vehicles; high-speed rail and bus rapid transit systems; the planet's ecological infrastructure including freshwaters, forests, soils and coral reefs; and sustainable agriculture including organic production.

"The Policy Brief also calls for a range of specific measures aimed at assisting poorer countries to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and green their economies," noted Mr. Steiner.

The measures include an expansion of microcredit schemes for clean energy, reform of subsidies from fossil fuels to fisheries and the greening of overseas development aid, he said.

"Japan, which has already launched a multi-billion yen green stimulus package for its economy, has just announced a $5 billion loan fund for developing economies seeking to boost their renewable energy sector," he pointed out.
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FINANCIAL CRISIS HIGHLIGHTS NEED TO ACHIEVE DEVELOPMENT GOALS, MIGIRO SAYS

The current financial turmoil that has swept the world provides an impetus to deliver on aid commitments and reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the eight internationally-agreed anti-poverty targets with a 2015 deadline, Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro has said.

"One might say that aid is a luxury in a time of economic turmoil," she said yesterday at the Montreal Millennium Summit. "But our reaction to the crisis shows just how wrong-headed such thinking would be."

Ms. Migiro stressed in her address that the current crisis reveals that assistance is more crucial than ever, with aid as the only option left for many nations which have seen private financing disappear.

"If we fail to meet our aid commitments, we miss a chance to speed our own economic recovery," she said. "Fiscal stimulus has the biggest impact when it is directed to poor people."

With the midpoint to the MDG deadline having been reached, the Deputy Secretary-General said that even though many challenges remain, there is reason for hope, given the progress that has been made on many fronts, such as education, HIV/AIDS and gender equality.

She pointed out that Rwanda, which is still recovering from the devastating 1994 massacre of over 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and Hutus, is the country with the highest percentage of women in its parliament.

"We must never underestimate the human capacity for change," Ms. Migiro emphasized.

But progress has been too slow in other areas, such as improving maternal health and protecting the environment, she said.

The Deputy Secretary-General said that many developing countries have made great strides, achieving robust growth and even financing their own development, and she urged them to stand by their promises of improving governance and economic systems.

For their part, "donors could do more," she said. Even though "money can't buy development," she underscored that it is impossible to reach development targets with more resources.

While in Montreal, Ms. Migiro also addressed an event on the theme, "Forging a Renewed Partnership for Development," and reiterated the need for global cooperation to meet the MDGs.

"The task of achieving the Goals is too great for any one of us to achieve alone," she said. "We must succeed together."
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BAN OUTLINES LAOS’ PROGRESS, CHALLENGES IN MEETING DEVELOPMENT TARGETS

Laos has made considerable strides towards reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the eight anti-poverty targets with a 2015 deadline, but the nation must continue its efforts to slash child malnutrition and maternal mortality rates to make the country more competitive in the global economy, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said.

"There have been steady improvements in health, education, living standards and life spans," with progress having been made in literacy rates and access to safe drinking water, Mr. Ban said on Saturday in Laos' capital, Vientiane, at the launch of the latest progress report on Laos' progress towards the MDGs.

"These gains are underpinned by greater macro-economic stability and increasing integration with the global economy," he added, congratulating the Government on its achievements.

But the Secretary-General, who met with President Choummaly Sayasone while in Laos, cautioned that much remains to be done for the country to achieve the eight targets.

"Poverty is prevalent, especially in the countryside," he said. "Inequality – especially between rural and urban areas – is getting worse."

Mr. Ban expressed his particular concern over the high rates of child malnutrition, noting that Laos has the highest maternal mortality rates in the region. Additionally, the country's education index is the lowest among the countries belonging to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

"This is not only a human tragedy; it will have serious implications for the future of this country's workforce and its ability to compete" economically at the international level, he said.

In order for Laos to achieve its twin goals of meeting the MDGs by 2015 and pulling itself out of the list of least developed countries by 2020, the Secretary-General said that the country must maintain sustainable growth, which will require stepped up investments in human development and the social sector.

His remarks were also made to mark the opening of the UN House, a compound in central Vietiane hosting the world body's agencies, which "will foster greater economies of scale, improve collaboration among UN agencies, and present a unified UN image to the country."

Mr. Ban said that at the UN House, "we will all join forces to benefit the people of this country, especially those who need it most."

He was scheduled to depart from Laos to neighbouring Thailand to co-chair the third ASEAN summit in the resort town of Pattaya with Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. However, mass protests in the area forced the gathering to be postponed.

The Secretary-General expressed his regret at the deferment of the gathering, emphasizing that he values "the long-standing relationship between ASEAN and the United Nations and their cooperation in various fields."

He also voiced hope for an early restoration of normalcy in Thailand and for the settlement of differences through dialogue and peaceful means.
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$65 BILLION NEEDED FOR POPULATION SCHEMES TO CHECK POVERTY IN 2010 – UN

Nearly $65 billion worth of investment is required next year for population programmes to combat poverty, promote development and slash maternal death rates, according to the United Nations Commission on Population and Development.

One-third of this sum, or $22 million, will come from international donors, while the rest will be in the form of domestic investments by developing nations.

The $64.7 billion figure for 2010 is an upwards revision of the $20.5 billion that was adopted at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, marking the first time in 15 years that cost estimates have been reviewed.

The revision was critical due to surging growth in needs in the face of soaring health-care costs, according to a report by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

To implement the Programme of Action adopted at the end of the Cairo conference, UN Member States approved the new figures, expressing their concern for family planning funding which is currently far below what is needed.

The five-day meeting of the Commission, which wrapped up last Friday, examined the extent to which population growth affects the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), globally agreed targets on reducing poverty and eliminating other social ills by 2015.

Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), noted that the new sum more accurately captures current needs and is more in line with investments necessary to achieve the MDGs.

"As the financial crisis unwinds, now is the time to increase social investment and redouble efforts" to achieve the Programme of Action, she said in a statement.
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HIGH BIRTH RATES HAMPER DEVELOPMENT IN POORER COUNTRIES, WARNS UN FORUM

Rapid population growth, fuelled by high fertility, presents a barrier to reducing poverty levels and reaching other internationally agreed development goals, experts attending the current session of the United Nations population body said today.

The meeting of the Commission on Population and Development, which began on Monday and concludes on Friday, is examining the extent to which population growth affects the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), globally agreed targets on reducing poverty and eliminating other social ills by 2015.

Although birth rates have been on the slide across the developing world since the 1970s, women in most of the least developed countries (LDCs) still have five children each on average, according to a policy brief presented by the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).

The lack of access to family planning and to modern methods of contraception is the major cause of this persistence in high fertility.

"When individuals and couples are given the possibility of deciding how many children they want to have, they usually opt for much lower numbers than they used to," Hania Zlotnik, Director of the Population Division, told the press at UN Headquarters in New York at a briefing focusing on the work of the Commission.

Ms. Zlotnik noted that giving people the information and means for reaching their reproductive goals – without any kind of interference or coercion – has significant implications for economic and social development.

Reducing population growth through cutting fertility rates, versus increasing mortality or restricting migration, is beneficial to the economy, as low fertility increases the number of people of working age per capita as well as output per capita, according to the Population Division brief.

Benefits to economic growth also occur as lowering fertility leads to an increase in the supply of female labour, particularly in urban areas in developing countries.

In addition, smaller family size allows for greater investment in the health and education of children in the longer term both from the family and government.
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