NGO alliance welcomes UN plan to eradicate extreme poverty, urges U.S. government engagement

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May 30, 2013, 04:15 ET

WASHINGTON, May 30, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Leading NGO alliance InterAction welcomed on Thursday the release of a report by the UN Secretary-General's High Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda that set a target of 2030 to end extreme poverty.

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The UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are set to expire in 2015 and the expert panel gathered in New York City today to propose a new international development agenda for the next two decades to UN member states. The new agenda was drawn up by a panel of global experts, co-chaired by Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and British Prime Minister David Cameron.

"We applaud the report's bold yet practical vision for lifting people out of poverty and preserving the world's natural resources for future generations," said Samuel A. Worthington, president and CEO of InterAction, the largest alliance of U.S.-based international NGOs. "Since 1990, the number of people living in extreme poverty has been halved. However, 1.4 billion people still live on less than $1.25 a day; we have a way to go before the goal of eradicating extreme poverty is reached."

In recent decades, the gap has widened between those on the poverty line and the very poorest and most marginalized populations. To close this gap, InterAction's post-2015 policy paper has similar recommendations to the panel's report: reducing inequalities, promoting inclusion, ensuring accountability, and focusing on actions which target poor people and help create a healthy planet.

"The U.S. government is well-positioned to play a leadership role in developing the detailed post-2015 framework," said Worthington. "U.S. panel representative John Podesta provided important leadership on many of the key issues. Going forward, the Obama administration should build on the high-level leadership and interagency participation that has marked the process so far. We look forward to ongoing transparent and consultative engagement by U.S. government officials with NGOs, civil society, and the private sector in order to bring a full range of perspectives to the table on how to implement and finance this bold plan."

Worthington added: "The new agenda reflects the voices of people in poor communities and NGOs around the world who were consulted by the expert panel. As UN member states begin the two-year dialogue about the priorities of international development for the next two decades, civil society must continue to be an important voice in these conversations."

InterAction Post-MDG Task Force co-chair organizations – Save the Children and the United Nations Foundation – also welcomed the report.

"Today's report offers a blueprint for eliminating extreme poverty and envisages a world in which no child is born to die, no child goes to bed hungry, and every child grows up to a sustainable and more prosperous future," said Carolyn Miles, president and CEO of Save the Children. "It is now up to the U.S. government and other UN member states to drive this agenda forward."

"The United Nations Foundation welcomes the report of the Secretary-General's High-Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda – a particularly significant and bold contribution to the development of a new framework to succeed the Millennium Development Goals," said Kathy Calvin, president and CEO of the United Nations Foundation.

InterAction is the largest alliance of U.S.-based nongovernmental international organizations, with more than 180 members. Our members operate in every developing country, working with local communities to overcome poverty and suffering by helping to improve their quality of life. Visit www.interaction.org.

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SOURCE InterAction