Climate Change Hinders Fight Against Poverty: UN Deputy Secretary-General Calls for New and Urgent Responses

29 September 2008: Speaking at a Ministerial Meeting of Least Developing Countries (LDCs), taking place in New York, US, UN Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro underlined that climate change and the food and oil crises add new pitfalls to achieving the 10-year Brussels Programme of Action.

The Programme outlines steps to be taken by both industrialized nations and LDCs to fight poverty, including commitments by the LDCs on good governance and by the world’s wealthiest countries to spend 0.15-0.2% of gross national income on aid. She stressed that “these new challenges demand new and urgent responses” and noted the special vulnerability to climate change of small island and low-lying coastal States. [UN press release, 29 September 2008]