UN General Assembly
2006

on the endless trail of death it leaves in its wake. It is time also to open the door to other forms of commerce — the legitimate and licit trade of goods and services — on which the prosperity of the peoples of the world depends. I know that in the Assembly there exists a wide range of opinions about the best way to promote global trade so as to provide genuine opportunities for all countries. In a globalized world, the challenge facing developing nations is simple: if we cannot export more goods and services, we will end up exporting more people. The strongest argument in favour of opening up economies is, quite simply, that it helps to reduce poverty. I sometimes marvel that some continue to insist that globalization is a negative force that is increasing global poverty. On the contrary: according to the World Bank, the number of people living in poverty has fallen by almost 200 million over the past two decades, largely owing to the advances of India and China — two countries that have embraced