(STRASBOURG, November 15th) More than 1 million Europeans mobilized on October 17th --the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty -- under the Stand Up and Take Action initiative, to ask their Governments to keep their commitments on increasing aid quantity and quality, debt relief, and trade opportunities that will help poor countries to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The Summit on soaring food prices, convened by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), has concluded with the adoption by acclamation of a declaration calling on the international community to increase assistance for developing countries, in particular the least developed countries and those that are most negatively affected by high food prices.
The dramatic surge in food prices has plunged millions of poor people and many net food importing poor countries into a food crisis. Consequently, it has also put at risk their chances of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. Whilst the focus has been on the impact on the MDG1 of reducing poverty and hunger, given the close inter-connectedness between all the 8 MDGs, the impact on these sections of the poor on health, education and livelihoods more broadly, cannot be underestimated.
The Acting Spanish President, Jose Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, cited the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as the key focus of his governments development and cooperation policies, while giving his inaugural speech in the Spanish Parliament yesterday.
Under the heading “Deepening local democratic governance to eradicate poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals," the delegates to the Forum discussed potential ways of strengthening the role of Local Authorities both in the North and the South in the achievement of the MDGs.
Nairobi, November 30, 2009: The United Nations Millennium Campaign in Africa is delighted to announce the recent appointment of Charles Abugre as its new Deputy Director for Africa. The The position of Deputy Director for Africa was formerly held by Dr. Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem, who passed away in a road accident in Kenya on May 24.
As work to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger and achieve other Millennium Development Goals enters its final five years, attention is turning to the one in 10 people around the world with disabilities.
Twenty-five-year- old Katuri Kodanda Pani from the village of Ipurupalem in Andhra Pradesh who is preparing for the civil service exams, won the first prize in the nation-wide contest, titled Mera India Bridge the Gap. The contest asked young people in the 18 to 35 year age group to think of ideas, which could help India, meet its commitment on millennium development goals (MDGs).
Bangladesh can still achieve its millennium development goal to cut poverty by half before the deadline in 2015 if the government follows right policies, ensures accountability and reaches resources to the disadvantaged people, a UN official said.
Minar Pimple, deputy director of United Nations Millennium Campaign, Asia, said Bangladesh has to identify challenges ahead and give a big push to achieve the target in the remaining six years.
The UN official spoke to the FE last week while he was in Dhaka to attend a seminar on poverty.
The United Nations Millennium Campaign is disappointed that the recently concluded G-20 meetings ended with nothing more than vague commitments to the needs of the world’s poorest represented by the Millennium Development Goals.
