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Secretary-General says fighting poverty requires international aid, national effort

Secretary-General says fighting poverty requires international aid, national effort

Emphasizing the importance of reaching global anti-poverty goals, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said this will require international support coupled with national efforts, citing the example of his native Republic of Korea.

In a video message for today’s ODA International Conference hosted by the Korea International Cooperation Agency in Seoul, Mr. Ban said this year is crucial for reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which aim to slash a host of worldwide ills by the year 2015, since 2007 marks the mid-point.

“I take special pride in Korea’s efforts to mobilize support for the MDGs, through this conference and other initiatives,” he said. “I am all the more moved because in my lifetime, I have seen Korea transform itself from a war-ravaged and impoverished country, into a thriving society and globally competitive economy,” he added.

“The Korean people achieved this through their own determination, village by village, community by community. But they were also backed by remarkable support from the international community.”

Mr. Ban said this approach to assistance “remains highly relevant in our time” and called for joint efforts to promote anti-poverty initiatives across the globe. “Together,” he said, “we must implement such programmes on a large scale.”