BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – IN the wake of global crises of food, fuel, flu and finance, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has clearly outlined his organisation’s priority for action and called upon the international community for solidarity to this end.
During his remarks at yesterday’s (June 25) address at the UN Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and Its Impact on Development, in New York, Ki-moon argued that while some countries may see financial stabilisation and growth, they are merely signs and show no “green shoot of recovery”.
Before outlining key responses to the crisis, the UN official gave a realistic description of the situation and the lasting effect it would have on the world.
“The real impact of the crisis could stretch for years. Millions more families are being pushed into poverty. Fifty million jobs could be lost this year alone. Already nearly a billion people go to sleep hungry every night. Too many children are dying from preventable diseases, while too many mothers die in childbirth,” Ki-moon argued as he called for more resources to be committed to helping the poor and vulnerable.
The UN Secretary-General commended the G-20 for agreeing to pledge $1.1T as financial support to developing states, but described the move as “only a beginning”. He therefore urged the international community to unite to ensure that “good intentions translate into concrete action”.
He said the UN should focus on three specific areas of action: mobilising full strength for “real-time” data on the impact of the crisis on the poorest; keeping global commitments to help women and men move from vulnerability to opportunity; and working together to reform international institutions for the 21st century.
“We know the big picture...but we need a sharper lens with finer powers of resolution. I am marshalling the resources of the United Nations to monitor the impact of the crisis in real time. We will launch this Global Impact and Vulnerability Alert System in the coming months. I am also mobilising the entire United Nations system to support countries on food security, trade, a greener economy, stronger safety nets, and a Global Jobs Pact,” Ki-Moon declared, adding that the creation of decent jobs is an essential ingredient in ensuring economic recovery.
With respect to commitments to the vulnerable, the UN official encouraged leaders to make good on commitments as he underscored that the current crisis is not an excuse to abandon pledges. According to Ki-moon, there is adequate evidence indicating the areas in which aid could be given in order to “expand human potential”.
“We can do this by guaranteeing food and nutritional security and helping subsistence farmers increase farm productivity and access markets; by filling the resource gaps left in the Education for All fast track initiative and ensuring universal access to primary education; by helping developing countries promote cleaner energy and create green jobs. This is not charity! It is not a luxury! It is a development imperative. And it is a central ingredient to a coordinated global recovery plan,” he added.
Ki-moon concluded by calling for partnership and cooperation in order to galvanise action and support the economic rights of the people of the world. He underscored that there is a need to work together to reform global rules and institutions, which he considers to be the “basic issue of effectiveness, legitimacy and public faith”.
“The global economic crisis shows why we need a renewed multilateralism. We know that without adequate regulation, a breakdown in one part of the system has profound repercussions elsewhere. Challenges are linked. Our solutions must be, too,” Ki-moon said.
