General Assembly chief says collective action only way out of poverty, HIV/AIDS

The problems of a world where the poor are increasingly poor, human rights are ignored, HIV/AIDS and malaria claim millions of lives, and inequality proliferates, will only be solved through a cooperation of civil society, governments, and local leaders, the United Nations General Assembly President said today.

President Jean Ping’s remarks opened the third day of a conference between non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the UN meant to come up with plan of action just prior to the World Summit next week.

“New players, I think here in particular of you, the non-governmental organizations now have a voice in the coming chapter through the force of propositions and actions, each one at degrees and various levels of influence,” he said, praising the NGOs as well as parliamentarian leaders who are holding separate negotiations with UN members to draft their own Document to Summit leaders.

“What joins us all is a refusal of a two-track world where the poor become always poorer and more numerous…where human rights are protected in one place and encroached in another…where HIV/AIDS, malaria and other endemic diseases continue to strike millions of victims, in particular among the most vulnerable…a planet that generates inequalities that could themselves generate threats to our collective security,” he added.

Government methods are sometimes “cumbersome,” he said, but NGOs are more nimble in responding to disasters, and have a reservoir of resources, which gives them an advantage.

The conference titled, “Our Challenge: Voices for Peace, Partnerships and Renewal” brought together more than 2,000 NGOs and was co-sponsored by the UN Department of Public Information (DPI) and NGOs.