Let me start, then, with why the fight against poverty is so important for us. Your Excellencies, Ladies, and Gentlemen, every human being on this planet should live with dignity and hope.
Poverty is an unacceptable human condition.
Poverty is a deprivation of essential assets and opportunities to which every human being is entitled. The latter half of the 20th century saw impressive advances in science and technology. And the pace of this progress is accelerating. We now have the capacity to apply this knowledge and resources to rescue the destitute. Poverty in a world as knowledgeable and resourceful as ours is unacceptable, totally unacceptable.