EU conference pledges $US6.3 billion for Syria’s recovery
Brussels, Belgium Reuters Donors at a European Union-led conference on Monday pledged €5.8 billion ($US6.3 billion) to help Syria’s new authorities as they struggle with humanitarian and security problems after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. The pledges at the Brussels gathering were less than last year’s €7.5 billion in grants and loans, as EU officials […]
Debt burden threatens poor countries’ development goals, UN official says
Hamburg, Germany Reuters The world’s poorest countries are having to prioritise debt service over investments, United Nations Development Programme administrator Achim Steiner said on Monday, scuppering progress towards their Sustainable Development Goals. Speaking at an event in Hamburg, Steiner said the financial crunch meant countries worldwide were struggling to meet the goals – a set […]
G20’s legitimacy depends on treatment of world’s poorest, UNDP chief says
Sao Paulo, Brazil Reuters The legitimacy of the Group of 20 economic powers depends on its impact on the world’s poorest people, not just controlling inflation, the head of the United Nations Development Programme said on Tuesday. Finance ministers from the G20 are meeting in Brazil this week with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva […]
Cost-of-living crisis driving “breathtaking” surge in extreme poverty – UNDP
London, UK Reuters The global cost-of-living crisis is pushing an additional 71 million people in the world’s poorest countries into extreme poverty, a new report published by the UN Development Programme on Thursday has warned. Achim Steiner, UNDP administrator, said an analysis of 159 developing countries showed that the surge in key commodity prices this […]
Ninety per cent of Ukrainian population could face poverty in protracted war – UNDP
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters Nine out of 10 Ukrainians could face poverty and extreme economic vulnerability if the war drags on over the next year, wiping out two decades of economic gains, the UN Development Programme said on Wednesday. Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator, said that his agency was working with the Kyiv government to avoid a […]
World leaders risk anger, more protests over inequality – UN official
Bogata, Colombia Reuters Political leaders around the world could face growing citizen anger if they cannot re-engage with unhappy populations, a United Nations official said on Monday, as heads of state around the world grapple with protests. Demonstrations in Latin America and elsewhere are connected to impatience with leaders who need to address the inequalities […]