Veep commits Ghana to the Global Campaign against Poverty

Accra, Oct.16, GNA - Vice President Aliu Mahama on Monday pledged Government's commitment towards the Global Campaign against Poverty, citing Growth and Poverty-Reduction Strategy II (GPRS II) as a worthy example.

He said Ghana through GPRS and in collaboration with the UN system have resolved to wage a relentless war against poverty.

Vice President Alhaji Mahama made the commitment when he delivered a short speech to launch the global campaign in Ghana.

"This is the only way we in Ghana can attain the middle income status to which we aspire. We, therefore, share our solidarity with the global community to fight poverty so as to make the world a worthy place to live in."

The Campaign is in line with the objectives of the UN Millennium Summit in September 2000 where World Leaders agreed to set a time-bound and measurable goals and targets for 96 eradicating extreme poverty; achieving universal primary education; promoting gender equality and to empower women; reducing child mortality; improving maternal health; combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensuring environmental sustainability and developing global partnership for development.

These targets, which came to be known as Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), are to be attained by 2015.

Mr Daouda Toure, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations Development Programme, said the Campaign was meant to defeat extreme poverty, which he described as "the greatest challenge of our times". "We stand up now because we do not wish, years from now, to stand in front of the next generation and say we knew that millions of people were dying unnecessarily every year and we stood by doing nothing.

"We cannot stay seated when a child in a poor country today will die 30 years earlier than a child born in a wealthy one. It is time to end all this heartbreak," he said.

Mr Toure called on the Leaders of the wealthy countries to keep their promise of debt cancellation, more and better aid and trade rules to the developing countries.

"We also stand before the Leaders of poorer countries to say be great, make it your first responsibility to save the lives of your poorest citizens. We ask you to achieve real transparency and accountability in how money is spent, tackle inequality to uproot corruption."