Despite 20 years of reforms, Bolivians still enduring hardship - Annan

Bolivians have made considerable sacrifices for social justice but have not had their demands answered, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today.

"For the past 20 years, Bolivia has undertaken a series of reforms, with the assistance of the United Nations family. Yet the majority of Bolivian people, who have already made significant sacrifices, continue to endure great hardship," Mr. Annan said in a statement read on his behalf by a senior UN official to the two-day 15th Consultative Group Meeting on Bolivia in Paris.

Representatives of donor countries meet periodically to coordinate strategies for reducing extreme poverty in the Latin American country. Bolivians have a per capita gross domestic product of $1,000 a year.

"Urgent action is needed to ensure that their demands for social justice are answered and that the developing democratic process continues to move forward," Mr. Annan said.