Pakistan has made a strong call to the world community to enable the United Nation's Economic and Social Council (Ecosoc) to play its central role as the main organ of the UN in the economic and social fields. Addressing the Ecosoc meeting here on Thursday, Pakistan Ambassador to the UN Munir also stressed the need for strong collaborative efforts by the world community to reverse the recent deteriorating trends in eradication of poverty and hunger.
The Ecosoc from Thursday commenced the preparatory process of its forthcoming High Level Segment meetings, scheduled to be held on June 29 to July 1, which would focus on achieving the internationally agreed development goals.
In the two-day preparatory process, the Ecosoc is holding seven Roundtables on poverty and hunger eradication; education and literacy; health and mortality; global partnerships and financing for development; gender equality and empowerment of women; environmental sustainability; decisions needed to implement the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other internationally agreed development goals at the country level.
Speaking in the opening session, Ambassador Akram highlighted the significance of the Ecosoc's High Level Segment this year, coming as it does before the 60th Anniversary UN General Assembly Summit in September this year when the implementation of the MDGs will be reviewed by the world leaders.
Noting that this offered a "unique opportunity" to the Ecosoc to contribute to the review process, Ambassador Akram said, "A meaningful and substantive input by the Ecosoc for the September Summit will perhaps be a first step in the right direction."
The opening session also heard a keynote speech by Professor Jaffrey Sachs, who has produced the Millennium Project Report on the achievement of the MDGs. He spoke about the responsibility of the rich countries to fulfil their promises to poor countries of greater and timely assistance.
Later, initiating discussions in the Roundtable on 'Eradication of Poverty and Hunger," Ambassador Akram said that despite clearly defined targets, the realisation of the MDGs had unfortunately been quite modest thus far. The plight of some countries had actually been deteriorating, he said.
He pointed out that 54 countries were poorer today than in 1990; in 21 countries, a larger proportion of the people was going hungry now than in 1990. Similarly in 14 countries, child mortality had arisen and in 21 countries, primary school enrolment rates had fallen, he said.
"The majority of the extreme poor and those who suffer from hunger, live in the rural areas of developing countries and furthermore, women, children, indigenous peoples and other vulnerable groups experience a higher incidence of poverty and hunger in all countries," he stated.
Ambassador Akram stressed that the situation in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, home to the largest concentration of hungry people, was particularly acute and deserved the special attention of the international community.
"Poverty reduction should not be perceived in the narrow terms of transfer of aid money from developed to developing countries but should also be seen as a global public good whose benefits will be widespread, positively affecting both the developed and the developing countries."
"It is a realisation of this truth, this interdependency and complementarity, which should lead all of us to seek solutions with sincerity and with commitment," he concluded.