Brown urges focus on millennium goals Options

[ABLAT Staff]

Brown urges focus on millennium goals

NEW YORK — British leader Gordon Brown yesterday called for a new humanitarian alliance to help meet key world poverty reduction targets, many of which are drastically behind schedule.

In an address to the United Nations (UN) in New York, Brown said change was needed to help fulfil the eight Millennium Development Goals , progress on which is behind schedule eight years before they are due to be completed.

His US trip can be seen as an attempt to set out his foreign policy in concrete terms, combining belief in the “hard” power of military might where necessary with “soft” power aid and economic development — or as he called it yesterday, “people power”.

In his keynote foreign policy speech, Brown expressed confidence that a new draft UN resolution on Darfur for the immediate deployment of peacekeeping forces would be adopted.

On poverty reduction goals, the prime minister said that although it was a “remarkable moment” when countries signed up to them in 2000, the pace of change was now too slow and the world was “a million miles from success”. He called for governments, big business, scientists, engineers and the medical profession to join forces in a globalised “force for justice” with faith groups and nongovernmental organisations.

“The greatest of challenges now demands the boldest of initiatives,” he told an audience of ambassadors and senior diplomats.

“I want to summon into existence the greatest coalition of conscience in pursuit of the greatest of causes.

“In 1960 here in America, President John F Kennedy called for a peace corps — an international commitment to harness the idealism many felt in the face of threats to human progress and world peace,” he said.

“Today we should evoke the same spirit to forge a coalition for justice.”

His Downing Street office said 12 countries, including France, Japan, Germany, Spain, India and Brazil, had signed a joint pledge for “urgent action” to help meet what Brown described as a “development emergency” in the world.

In addition, about 20 companies and individuals involved in big business had made a similar pledge to mobilise joint efforts to cut poverty and hunger, boost education and combat HIV/-AIDS, malaria and other diseases.

Brown’s speech comes after he reaffirmed support for Washington on tackling global extremism on Monday after two days of private talks with US President George Bush at his Camp David retreat in Maryland.

Brown, who as finance minister in 2006 announced at least $15bn in British funds for education in Africa over the next decade, has already talked with rock star activist Bono in the past month.

Former US president Bill Clinton also visited Brown on Monday night for talks. His charitable foundation is working in similar areas of the millennium goals.

Brown said there should be a meeting next year to report on progress on the goals and discuss the way ahead. Sapa-AFP

http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/worl...x?ID=BD4A529438