The World Bank (WB) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) on Friday said that Mexico's anti-poverty program is one of the most successful initiatives in the world.

The praise came at a teleconference which connected The Global Conference on Scaling Up Poverty Reduction in China's Shanghai with the 3rd summit of the European Union (EU), Latin America and the Caribbean in the city of Guadalajara, western Mexico.

In response, Mexican President Vicente Fox thanked the two groups for their praise and stressed the merits of the program. But he said Mexico still has "a long way to go" in poverty reduction.

Fox said the praise from the Shanghai forum makes him feel verysatisfied, but at the same time they present a huge challenge because the program will be imitated in other places of the world.

The anti-poverty plan started three years ago when the Fox administration came into power. It has benefited about 4.2 millionfamilies and 20 million people, or one fifth of the nation's population.

Last month, the UN Food and Agricultural Organization also praised the success of Fox's program. But analysts, political experts and opponents have accused the president of handing over "soared" figures.

Source: Xinhua