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Poor need to see improvements in their lives

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-09-21 01:11

UNITED NATIONS - "Whatever we say or agree in the coming days are only words unless in the poorest countries and the poorest communities, the poor start to see improvements in their lives," Ali Treki, former president of the General Assembly, said here Monday.

Treki's statement came as 140 world leaders on Monday kicked off a three-day high-level meeting here to accelerate the implementation of UN anti-poverty goals, known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Treki was the president of the 64th session of the 192-member General Assembly.

With five years left to achieve the MDGs, much more needs to be done, particularly for gender equality and reducing maternal mortality which will "not be met without intensified attention," Treki said.

"We can say that much progress has been made," Treki said citing that more children are in school today, health care is reaching the poorest and most vulnerable, and treatment of HIV/AIDS as well as for many other diseases have shown improvement.

"However, the evidence is also clear that much more needs to be done," he said.

Many challenges still exist, including the just under 1 billion people who suffer from hunger and malnutrition, and environmental sustainability.

"We have forced a strong international consensus on the full and timely achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, (MDGs)," Treki said.

The road to achievement of the MDGs might be disagreed on, but "we are in agreement as the importance of not allowing the poor to be left behind," he said.

This depends on more than goodwill and commitments, Treki said as he urged for "good policies, tireless implementation and of course financial resources."

"Let us take the energy, the goodwill and resolve that we find here, in this room today and assure that the fight against poverty does not falter but continues to the end of reaching the goal to a better world," he added.