UN anti-poverty goals get new financial pledges

[cory777]

Source: Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS – A three-day summit to push global leaders to meet U.N. goals to significantly reduce poverty by 2015 wraps up Wednesday with new financial pledges from countries but no certainty there will be enough money and political commitment to meet the targets.

With many countries under financial pressure from the effects of the global economic crisis as well as rising food and energy prices, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has repeatedly urged governments not to abandon the 1 billion people living on less than $1.25 a day.

Britain's Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, in prepared remarks for delivery at the Millennium Development Goals summit Wednesday, urged other countries to show the same resolve as Britain in meeting their aid commitments, despite the fallout from the financial meltdown.

Clegg pointed to "fragile spaces — like Afghanistan — where hate can proliferate and terrorist attacks can be planned, where organized criminals can harvest the drugs that ravage our streets, where families are persecuted, displaced, pushed to seek refuge with us."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100922/ap_on_re_us/un_un_world_summit

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ACTIVIST NEWS http://activistnews.blogspot.com

[pampango]

1. "Britain is one of few nations to have met commitments to spend more to combat poverty and

starvation."

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/09/22/brown-fury-over-broken-aid-pledges-115875-22578896/

Gordon Brown has hit out at rich nations for failing to keep their promises to help developing countries.

Britain is one of few nations to have met commitments made after Live Aid to spend more to combat poverty and starvation. Italy and the US have lagged behind in giving cash to Africa and Asia.

The ex-Prime Minister told a UN meeting in New York he was angry other countries had not met the Millennium Development Goals.

Mr Brown said: "I think rich countries have not done enough to honour the promises that we made."