‘grounded approach’ to escaping poverty highly relevant, Secretary-General says

in message to international conference on official development aid

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s video message for the ODA International Conference hosted by the Korea International Cooperation Agency in Seoul, today, 7 March:

The Millennium Development Goals represent our common vision -- a partnership between rich and poor countries for building a better future.  This year is a crucial one in our efforts to reach the Goals, as it marks the halfway point to the 2015 target date.  Many regions remain distressingly off track, particularly in Africa.  We must move quickly to implement our commitments.

I take special pride in Korea’s efforts to mobilize support for the MDGs, through this conference and other initiatives.  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.  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.

This grounded approach to assistance remains highly relevant in our time.  Today, you will hear about one example.  My Special Adviser, Professor Jeffrey Sachs, will describe how the United Nations supports Millennium Villages in Africa.  These empower rural Africans with the basic tools they need to escape extreme poverty.  I am proud that the Korean Government will now join this effort in Madagascar.

Together, we must implement such programmes on a large scale.  This conference has an important role to play in advancing that mission.  I wish you a most productive day, and express my gratitude to all of you for your leadership and your commitment.

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For information media • not an official record