Global governments urged to redouble poverty-cut efforts

A gathering of the world's aid and charity groups on Wednesday called on world governments to redouble their efforts for the sake of the "poorest and least politically powerful people".

A declaration was passed by about 1,600 delegates on the final day of the United Nations DPI/NGO (Department of Public Information/Non-Governmental Organization) Conference held in Melbourne.

According to Australian Associated Press, the document urges world governments to acknowledge "all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights", while also rating progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which is a 15- year plan to reduce global poverty and improve health standards by 2015.

"The MDGs are basic to human rights, to human development and to equity (so) achieving the MDGs is a moral imperative," the document stated.

"The MDGs, all of which affect the health of populations, are significantly off-track for the poorest and least politically powerful people, despite progress in many countries and the increased efforts of the international community."

The document - the NGO community's collective view and a snapshot of global poverty and disease - warned that one billion people across the world do not have access to adequate and appropriate food.

It also said 2.6 billion people lack access to improved sanitation, almost nine million children die before the age of five and at least 340,000 women die each year of pregnancy-related causes.

An estimated 420 million people in developing countries have a disability while 267 million worldwide have a preventable visual impairment.

Millions of people also die from non-communicable diseases, as well as tuberculosis, malaria and the complications of AIDS every year.

The document also warned of the "short- and long-term health threats" posed by environmental degradation and climate change.

It called for governments to redirect military spending towards "health workers, teachers and infrastructure for the health and education sectors" while free trade agreements should not be favored over "fair trade ... that maximizes health and well-being before profits".

"In conclusion, it is unacceptable that so many children and adults in low income countries continue to suffer preventable illness, disability and premature deaths each year," the statement said.

"The world knows how to prevent and treat most of the causes and that well focused efforts can significantly reduce levels of suffering.

"The MDGs can be, indeed must be, achieved by 2015."

World governments will discuss progress on the MDGs at a United Nations summit in New York of U.S. later this month, and the NGOs also said the "urgent needs for financing" of the global aid effort must be met.

United Nations donor countries will meet again in October where they will be called on to replenish the 20 billion U.S. dollars fund that underpins the next three years of work to combat HIV/ AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria globally.

Source: Xinhua