President Drnovšek, at the meeting of world leaders on the fight against hunger and poverty, on the importance of a more effective approach to tackling poverty in the world
UN - New York, USA, 09/20/2004 | press release
The president of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Janez Drnovšek, who on Tuesday morning (East Coast Time; Tuesday evening Central European Time) will attend the 59th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, on Monday afternoon attended a meeting of world leaders on the fight against poverty and hunger. The meeting was proposed by the Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The meeting of the Initiative for the Eradication of Poverty and Hunger was opened by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan. Other speakers included the French president, Jacques Chirac, the Spanish president, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and the Chilean president, Ricardo Lagos.
In his speech delivered at the meeting, Slovenia's president, Dr Drnovšek, stressed that the Initiative to Fight Against Poverty and Hunger is underway at the right moment. And he continued:
It is seems more and more that the Millennium Development Goals will not be attained by merely following inertia. Radical changes are called for to complement the current instruments and institutions intended for financing the global development. The proposed new financial instruments – from various international taxes to the International Finance Facility and issuance of Special Drawing Rights – are welcome ideas deserving our full attention. The official development assistance is an important instrument that must be sustained and further enhanced; at the same time, however, we need to be aware of the real restriction of assistance of this type, because international assistance as part of national budgets competes with national needs. Therefore, in order to reduce global poverty, it is necessary to introduce an instrument that will be independent from the budget funds of individual countries. Warnings and messages on global hunger and poverty probably will not win national elections. We must therefore build assistance mechanisms that will be independent from political situations in individual countries. Along with seeking new sources to finance development, we also need to devote ourselves to the capacity development of countries for efficient management of funds, and to the co-ordination between donors. Efficiency must exist on both sides: in development assistance recipients and in donors. Imposition of global taxes will not work if there is no will for it. If, however, the will is there, then it is possible both to develop an efficient mechanism and put it into practice. I hope that the year when the UN celebrates its 60th anniversary will see a realistic proposal placed before us; one over which the necessary consensus may be reached. This will be difficult, but not impossible. For this, we shall, of course, need political will and courage”, Dr Drnovšek emphasised in his speech at the meeting of world leaders, at which initiatives to eliminate hunger and poverty were discussed.
Following the meeting of the Initiative for the Eradication of Poverty and Hunger, President Drnovšek had a meeting with the president of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf. President Drnovšek began by emphasising the importance of Pakistan for the stability of the region and its future development. President Musharraf stated that as a new member of the European Union Slovenia can make an active contribution to addressing the central issues from which instability and terrorism derive – issues such as political conflicts and lack of dialogue, poverty and illiteracy. President Drnovšek made the point that the use of military force is not enough to ensure security in the world and that an integrated approach of the international community is necessary. The two presidents also discussed the situation in Afghanistan and agreed that it requires the full attention and assistance of the international community. In conclusion they touched on the issue of bilateral cooperation, which is limited, and committed themselves to studying possibilities to deepen cooperation. At the same time the two presidents exchanged invitations to visit each other’s country.