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Let 2008 be the year of world’s poorest ‘bottom
billion’ – Ban Ki-moon
7 January
2008 United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today stressed
that 2008 should be the year of the “bottom billion,”
citing the need for renewed determination to address the needs of
the poorest of the world’s poor who have been left behind by
global economic growth.
“We must address ourselves to the needs of the weak, the disadvantaged,
those who have been excluded from the mainstream international community,”
Mr. Ban told reporters at a Headquarters press conference, his first
for the new year.
“And so I say, let 2008 be the year of the ‘bottom billion,’”
Mr. Ban declared, employing the phrase used by some economists to
describe the poorest of the world’s poor – the nearly
one billion left behind by global economic growth.
Noting that most of the world’s poorest live in Africa or the
small developing islands of Asia, “eking out lives of hardship
on incomes of less than $1 a day,” he pledged to work over
the coming year to strengthen the UN’s role in development.
He also called for fresh thinking on ways to help nations achieve
the pledges to slash poverty, hunger, disease and illiteracy by
2015, known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). At the mid-point
towards the 2015 deadline, it is widely acknowledged that many countries,
particularly in Africa, are not on track to meeting the Goals.
To help remedy this, Mr. Ban established the MDG Africa Steering
Group last September in an effort to mobilize the full resources
of the UN system and its partners to achieve the MDGs in Africa.
In addition, he drew attention to a high-level meeting of the General
Assembly to be held in September with the goal of re-energizing
the world’s commitment to the MDGs, with special attention
to the poorest of the poor, noting that a similar forum was used
last year to galvanize world action on climate change.
Regarding climate change, he cited the need for a global grassroots
public awareness campaign to focus political pressure and keep global
warming at the forefront of public consciousness.
“The road from Bali will be difficult as well,” he noted,
recalling the landmark UN climate change conference held in Indonesia,
where nearly 200 countries agreed to launch a two-year process of
formal talks to tackle the problem of global warming.
The Secretary-General also noted that the demands on the UN continue
to increase, whether it is nurturing a fragile peace process in
the Middle East, helping Iraq emerge from conflict, staying the
course in Afghanistan or pushing for peace in war-torn Darfur. If
the past week is any indication, he said that “the coming year
promises to be even tougher than the last,” pointing to the
recent turmoil in Kenya and renewed violence in Sri Lanka.
“We therefore move into the new year with renewed commitment
to our ultimate mission – building a stronger UN for a better
world,” Mr. Ban stated, pledging to continue his push to modernise,
revitalise and streamline the Organisation, upholding the highest
standards of ethics, performance and accountability.
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