Focus on world's poor at General Assembly
(AP)
Updated: 2005-09-19 19:25

Leaders from developing nations took the speaker's platform on the second day of the annual U.N. General Assembly debate to criticize rich countries for not doing enough to ease the plight of the world's poorest people, the Associated Press reported.

Philippe Douste-Blazy, Minister for Foreign Affairs of France, speaks during the 60th session of the General Assembly Sunday, Sept. 18, 2005 at the United Nations. [AP]

Speakers from Africa, Asia and Latin America said they were encouraged by a document adopted at a three-day summit renewing commitments to alleviate poverty, but said they would withhold final judgment until rich nations make good on their vows.

"We hope that the commitments we have undertaken will not remain mere empty words," said Zambia's President Levy Mwanawasa.

While the focus of the summit that ended Friday was largely on efforts to overhaul the U.N. management and human rights machinery, the original thrust of the event was to take stock of progress made toward achieving a series of goals set in 2000: To cut poverty by half, ensure universal primary education and stem the AIDS pandemic, all by 2015.

Leaders of poor nations made clear that they were not impressed with the progress made so far. A week ago, a U.N. report said that about 40 percent of the world's people still struggle to survive on less than $2 a day.

Jamaica's Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 developing countries, repeated what has been largely acknowledged by many U.N. and outside officials: the world is nowhere close to meeting the development goals.

"At the current pace, some regions and countries will miss several of the (goals) by decades," Patterson said. "In certain areas, such as the elimination of hunger, we would be centuries away."

Page:

1

2

3

Close

North Korea to drop nuclear weapons development Clinton Global Initiative Summit Schwarzenegger seeks re-election in 2006

Today's Top News     Top World News
N. Korea agrees to abandon nuclear weapon efforts         China shares rise on restructuring hopes         Starbucks announces $5 million fund in China         Focus on world's poor at General Assembly         New cotton strain to raise output by 25%         Saddam Hussein nephew draws life sentence	Focus on world's poor at General Assembly       OPEC ministers ponder offering extra oil       Florida prepares for tropical storm Rita       German political leaders mull next move       Chinese, US delegations convene one-on-one meeting       Millions of Afghans vote, defy Taliban threats