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From Africa Recovery, Vol.17 #4 (Janaury 2004), Watch page Promises to keep In his New Year's message to the peoples of the world, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan affirmed his commitment to combating terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, but called on global leaders not to lose sight of a greater challenge, the war on poverty. "Without development and hope," he noted, "there will be no peace." Following are excerpts from his message: Just over three years ago, at the Millennium Summit, leaders of all nations pledged to provide that hope. They set themselves precise, time-bound targets -- the Millennium Development Goals. To meet these goals would cost only a fraction of what our world spends on weapons of war. Yet it would bring hope to billions, and greater security to us all. But in 2003 we did not live up to these promises. We let ourselves be swept along by the tide of war and division. 2004 must be different. It must be the year when we begin to turn the tide. We can turn the tide against HIV/AIDS, if we act on the "three-by-five" initiative -- the World Health Organization's plan to get 3 million people on anti-retroviral treatment by 2005. It's a bold target, but it can be met -- if rich countries, poor and afflicted countries, governments, civil society, the private sector, and the United Nations system all pull together -- and if the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is fully funded. We can turn the tide against hunger, if we all work
together to make existing food stocks available to hungry people
everywhere, and to help Africa produce the extra food it needs.
And we can turn the tide in world trade, if governments
do as they promised, and make the current round of negotiations
a true "development round." We don't need any more
promises. We need to start keeping the promises we already
made. This article may be freely reproduced, with attribution to
"Africa Recovery, United Nations". Africa Recovery Tel: (212) 963-6857
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