Poverty reduction goal unlikely to be met by 2015 UNSG

From Fazle RashidbrNEW YORK, Sept 5 The UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon implicitly ruled out the possibility of reducing global poverty by half by 2015. The new definition of poverty is anyone living below an income of $1.25 a day is treated as living under poverty level.brWhy is this pessimism in the tone of the Secretary General The answer is the industrialised nations have not lived upto their commitments. A UN report made public yesterday said that aid disbursement has dropped by 8.4 percent in 2007, significantly up from a drop of 4.7 percent recorded in 2006.brThe UN Secretary General underscored the need of accelerating assistance to the poor nations. Aid to poor nations has slumped even as higher food and energy prices and slowing global economic growth have made assistance to poor nations more urgent, the New York Times quoted Ban Ki-moon as saying.brThe group of 8 nations are far behind their pledge. They committed in 2005 to provide $25 billion in assistance to Africa by 2010. They have so far disbursed a paltry $4 billion. We are running out of time and warned that the member states are not meeting their commitment, the secretary general said.brThe lapses in the pledges have been identified as no ( 1 ) the goal of duty free access to the markets of the industrialised of good from the developing nations is short by 97 percent; (2) debt relief has been granted to only 33 nations out of 41 eligible for such concessions. About 52 countries spent more paying off debts than on public health and 10 paid more debt payment than to education in 2006; (3) distribution of medicine to combat HIVAIDS, malaria, tuberculosis has improved but the price remain beyond the reach of many; and (4) huge progress has been made in cellphones in poor countries but internet access and other technology lags.brThe United Nations have been demanding that the wealthy nations contribute 0.7 percent of their GDP income to poor nations. The goal has remained unfulfilled. The nations that are meeting their obligations are Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. The United States now limbering under an economic slow down, has failed to meet its commitments.brThe group of 8 nations have been tall in promises but short in action.brThe group in 2005 committed to increase and accelerate aid by $50 billion but have so far delivered only $19 billion. The UN goals were set in 2000. The analysts had then questioned the workability of the goals.brBut the boosters of the plan say that this has broaden access to primary education and health significantly.br