If we want the UN to be relevant, we must equip it with means to be one step ahead of developments. Successful prevention requires profound understanding of underlying causes. Understanding these causes we can establish an early warning system that allows us to act on time before conflicts erupt. One of the root causes for conflicts is poverty. As almost half of the world's population still have to do with less than 2 US dollars a day and struggle for existence, conflicts can flare up easily.
Poverty is also an affront to human dignity.
Trying to halve the proportion of people living in extreme poverty requires common efforts. Democracy and respect for human rights are important preconditions for all development and poverty eradication to sustain. Without democratic decision-making, respect for the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms, gender equality and good governance it is unrealistic to expect sustainable results in poverty reduction. Demand for respect for human rights will continue to shape the destiny of humankind also in the future. One of the greatest achievements of the United Nations has been the codification of a core set of human rights standards.