2009-10-17 13:10:29

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty


(October 17, 2009) United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has called for accelerating the progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals saying that investing in children and securing their rights is one of the surest ways of ending poverty. In a message for the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty celebrated on Saturday, 17th of October, the UN Chief said that in any recession, those hurt first and the worst are the poor. The theme of this year’s observance, “Children and Families Speak Out against Poverty”, coincides with the twentieth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Ban observed that despite our world of plenty, children’s basic needs are still being sidelined. Millions of children continue to be deprived of an education, with many more at risk of dropping out of school. This is particularly true for girl children. Investments in meeting the Millennium Development Goals can make a profound difference Ban said. He noted that in areas where global investments have been scaled up such as AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and vaccine-preventable diseases we are seeing heartening progress. There has also been notable success in reducing under-5 mortality. These gains suggest how we can accelerate progress towards those MDG targets where the world is still far behind by investing in key areas such as primary education, basic infrastructure and maternal health. With the right investments and concrete action, we can build upon the gains, fulfil our commitments, and ensure that every man, woman and child have the opportunity to make the most of their potential, Ban Ki Moon concluded.







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