They are appalling and embarrassing. They are embarrassing to us in the rich world. They are also embarrassing to the governments in many poor countries. The International Development Goals compel all of us to contribute to halving world poverty , establish universal primary education and reduce the death rates of children under the age of five by two thirds before 2015. These are formidable tasks.
Substantial effort is needed.
Therefore, losing that battle is no option . But in order to win, much more commitment will be needed. Fortunately, poverty reduction is now making its way to the top of more and more of the important international agendas. On the international arena unfair trade relations, lack of coherence in donor countries policies, volatile financial markets and insufficient development assistance are among the most important hindrances and risks for poverty reduction. On the national level institutional and manpower constraints, as well as armed conflict and poor governance, are among the main challenges.