A new United Nations-sponsored report says that it would be possible to halve the number of people living in poverty by 2015. The report by 265 experts was presented today to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. It says that if the wealthy nations double the amount they spend on development aid over the next ten years, 500 million people will be lifted out of abject poverty and 30 million children's lives saved.

The halving of the number of people living in extreme poverty was one of the Millennium Development Goals agreed to in New York in 2000. The industrialised nations agreed to devote 0.7 percent of their gross national product to development aid. However, only the Netherlands, Luxembourg and a number of Scandinavian countries have so far fulfilled this commitment.

(rnw.nl)

I think these predictions are such nonsense, where do they come up with figures like that ? For all we know there might have been one or two big wars between now and 2015. Matter of fact, i think that's more likely then those calculations.

Heres an idea for the UN:
1)Get your heads out of your asses and try to find some other solution besides throwing money at it.
2)Stop making up nonsensical data that doesn't have any real world implication. What Johnny said is right. Maybe aliens will attack. Maybe George Bush will get drunk and nuke Canada. Who knows what might happen. Simply making big sweeping predictions that will likely never happen anyway (do you really expect funding to DOUBLE over the next ten years, especially with a US budget crisis?) won't solve anything.

I do hope you push back from your desk before posting; continuously bruising your knee is bad for it.

Well atleast its a good thought! Though its not going to happen. They could have said poverty would be doubled by 2015, which is more likely, but who wants to hear that?

Well, sending money alone wont halve poverty (however you define that). Many impoverished countries are ravages by war, and corruption reignes. These problems have to be adressed as well.

You are correct Stratos, The causes for poverty are many, the solutions are also many. Some places Poverty is the effect, not the reason, or in other words poverty is the symtom(sp?) not the disease.

While doubt poverty could be halved by 2015, I think the whole purpose report is just to pressure countries to be more committed at eliminating poverty. If more money was spent on aiding the poor, it'll be a step at making the world a far better place.

You are correct Stratos, The causes for poverty are many, the solutions are also many. Some places Poverty is the effect, not the reason, or in other words poverty is the symtom(sp?) not the disease. </font>[/QUOTE]What solutions do you have in mind, Harris?

[ 01-19-2005, 04:29 PM: Message edited by: Gab ]

Ideally, a fresh start, but seeing as how that's not likely to happen, perhaps cutting all aid entirely, and making those countries relatively "self sufficient", by not really on foreign aid. This is just an oddball idea thrown out there, and will likely never happen.