POLITICS
2008 YEAR-TURNING POINT IN MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS, BAN KI-MOON
UN General Assembly has opened two-day debate aimed at spurring progress towards achieving global development goals by 2015.
The challenge of meeting the millennium targets was being compounded in the short-term by the recent rise in food prices, which threatened to undo the gains achieved so far in fighting hunger and malnutrition, said Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. That situation called for a substantial increase in investment and expenditures in agriculture. It also underscored the importance of pushing for an open trading system in agricultural commodities, which would benefit countries worldwide. A slowing world economy also increased the immediate challenges faced by developing countries. In the longer term, development progress was gravely threatened by the effects of climate change and other major environmental challenges. Developing countries, with limited technological and financial resources, were particularly ill-equipped to adapt to changes in the natural environment that could adversely impact socio-economic development. They needed more assistance and resources to support adaptation efforts, so they could secure existing gains and continue to advance.