INTERVIEW-Financial crisis threatens poverty reduction goals
By Svetlana Kovalyova
MILAN, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Aid to poor countries is dwindling as rich ones pump trillions of dollars into their crumbling financial systems, threatening U.N. poverty reduction goals, the founder of the U.N. Millennium Goal Campaign said on Friday.
"If everybody lives up to their promise, they (the goals) are still reachable. If not, we are in a big trouble," Eveline Herfkens said on the sidelines of an international food forum.
"When the financial markets sneeze, the poor get pneumonia."
In 2000, United Nations' members set the Millennium Development Goals to cut in half the number of people living on less than $1 a day, halve the number of people suffering from hunger and boost development aid by 2015.
"I really would hope that our finance ministers who find trillions of dollars to beef up their own systems will not forget about a few billions that they promised to the poor," Herfkens told Reuters.
She said even before the crisis broke out aid to the poor countries was shrinking last year.
In a similar complaint, Jacques Diouf, head of the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organisation, said on Thursday his U.N. agency only received 10 percent of the $22 billion pledged in June to help fight hunger in poor countries.
Herfkens said the financial turmoil would hit developing countries in a variety of ways as poor countries are hammered by aid cuts and by falling demand from rich countries.
"It also means less access to credit for poor countries, less investment into poor countries," she said.
Echoing her concerns, Milan Mayor and forum host Letizia Moratti said rich countries should open up their markets for products from less-developed nations.
"We need to rethink many of our policies, make them less selfish," Moratti said in addressing the forum.
Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said all countries should act to keep the financial crisis from slowing down the fight against hunger. (Additional reporting by Antonella Ciancio; Editing by Louise Ireland)
MILAN, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Aid to poor countries is dwindling as rich ones pump trillions of dollars into their crumbling financial systems, threatening U.N. poverty reduction goals, the founder of the U.N. Millennium Goal Campaign said on Friday.
"If everybody lives up to their promise, they (the goals) are still reachable. If not, we are in a big trouble," Eveline Herfkens said on the sidelines of an international food forum.
"When the financial markets sneeze, the poor get pneumonia."
In 2000, United Nations' members set the Millennium Development Goals to cut in half the number of people living on less than $1 a day, halve the number of people suffering from hunger and boost development aid by 2015.
"I really would hope that our finance ministers who find trillions of dollars to beef up their own systems will not forget about a few billions that they promised to the poor," Herfkens told Reuters.
She said even before the crisis broke out aid to the poor countries was shrinking last year.
In a similar complaint, Jacques Diouf, head of the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organisation, said on Thursday his U.N. agency only received 10 percent of the $22 billion pledged in June to help fight hunger in poor countries.
Herfkens said the financial turmoil would hit developing countries in a variety of ways as poor countries are hammered by aid cuts and by falling demand from rich countries.
"It also means less access to credit for poor countries, less investment into poor countries," she said.
Echoing her concerns, Milan Mayor and forum host Letizia Moratti said rich countries should open up their markets for products from less-developed nations.
"We need to rethink many of our policies, make them less selfish," Moratti said in addressing the forum.
Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said all countries should act to keep the financial crisis from slowing down the fight against hunger. (Additional reporting by Antonella Ciancio; Editing by Louise Ireland)
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