U.N. to boost poverty goals in $40 billion plan

UNITED NATIONS | Wed Sep 22, 2010 2:08pm EDT
(Reuters) - UN chief Ban Ki-moon will launch Wednesday a 40 billion dollar global strategy to save the lives of 16 million women and children over the next five years as part of efforts to reduce global poverty, hunger and disease.
Powered aims to make progress in the slowest motion sectors in the Millennium Development Goals which the international body for 10 years ago - mothers and children health.
World leaders from 140 countries are expected to endorse a declaration at the end of a three-day summit Wednesday that requires enhanced efforts to achieve the goals by 2015.
"This is the first time we've seen across the board consensus on how we approach women's and children's health," Robert Orr, a senior aide to Mr Ban, told Reuters, adding that the plan will be approved by the 192 UN member countries.
The international body agrees that the goals of halving poverty and hunger is within reach, but more is needed to fulfill these to improve education and maternal health, reducing child mortality, combating major diseases, promoting gender equality and protection of environment.
It argues that investing in health for women and children to reduce poverty and stimulate economic growth. Besides saving lives, would the global strategy seeks to prevent 33 million unwanted pregnancies in 2015, the year in which the development is set to be completed, it said.
A UN statement said more than 40 billion dollars had been pledged by governments, foundations, corporations and non-governmental organizations. The figure covers both domestic investment and assistance to other countries.
'Learned to be skeptical'
Emma seery, spokeswoman for the development group Oxfam, said an extra 88 billion dollars was needed to meet the child and maternal health goals in 2015 and somewhat less were not enough.
"We've learned to be reticent about big announcements at summits," seery said in a statement. "What really counts is where the money comes from, which means leaders should home and put this money into national budgets."
Joanna Kerr Chief Executive of the anti-poverty group Action, called the summit a "costly side-show offered everything to everyone and nothing for anybody."
"An avalanche of hot emotions elegantly disguised the fact that no one fully funded plans to combat poverty was actually announced," Mr Kerr said.
UN officials said nearly 27 billion dollars was new money will be announced by governments - indicating the rest was already there when the plans for a global strategy for women's and children's health were first published in April. Some 8.6 billion U.S. dollars came from low-income countries, they said.
Orr said that if 16 million lives are being saved, the total amount needed will be as high as 169 billion dollars. He said that 40 billion dollar launch expected to attract additional commitments in the coming years.
The statement described the global strategy as "a roadmap that identifies financial and political changes are needed and the critical observations that can and do to improve health and save lives."