Halfway to the 2015, deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Economic and Financial Committee (Second Commission) has debated on October 21 and means to implement policies to eradicate poverty in a debate attended by about thirty delegations.
The Commission had before it two reports of the Secretary-General on the elimination of poverty and other development issues.
The first such report concerned the status of implementation of the Programme of Action of the United Nations system for the Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008-2017) , while the second focused on the role of microcredit and microfinance in eradicating poverty. Both documents were presented to the Commission by Mr. Donald Lee, Chief of the social aspects of development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).
While progress has been made in reducing poverty in some parts of the world during the Second Decade, they are no less unequal, pointed delegations, noting that even in some countries, the number of people living in poverty continues increase, and that women and children are the groups most affected, particularly in least developed countries, particularly sub-Saharan Africa.
Finding solutions to this situation is even more urgent, warned the representative of Yemen, speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, the financial and economic crisis precipitated 50 million more people in extreme poverty by 2009, while 925 million people suffer from hunger and malnutrition worldwide.
His counterpart in Belgium, which has speaking on behalf of the European Union, stressed the fundamental role that can play the gender equality in the eradication of poverty and mitigating the adverse effects of the current crisis. To contribute to its establishment, the European Union adopted a Plan of Action for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women in development.
Other delegations, such as Venezuela and Bangladesh, stressed the relevance of microcredit when it is placed in the hands of women, actresses who happen to be leading in national development strategies, particularly in rural areas.
UN source
