Investing In Development: A Practical Plan to Achieve Millennium
Author: Jeffrey D. Sachs and the UN Millennium Project ISBN: 1844072177
Publisher: Earthscan
Countries of the world stand a fair chance of cutting poverty by half
in the coming decade and enabling billions more people to enjoy the
fruits of the global economy, says a new landmark report by the United
Nations.
The report, predicts that if the MDGs are achieved by 2015, more than
500 million people will be lifted out of extreme poverty, that 300 million
will no longer suffer from hunger while dramatic progress in child health
will see 30 million children able to live beyond the age of five.
“There is more. Achieving the Goals will mean safe drinking water
for another 350 million people, and the benefits of basic sanitation
for 650 million, allowing them to live healthier and more dignified
lives. Hundreds of millions of more women and girls will lead their
lives in freedom with more security and more opportunity,” the
report says.
The report was presented to Secretary-General Kofi Annan in January
by the project director, Professor Jeffrey Sachs. See: http://unmp.forumone.com/
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In memoriam
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr.
Kofi Annan, and Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka, Executive
Director of UN-HABITAT expressed great sadness and shock at the
brutal murder of the former Prime Minister, Mr. Rafik Hariri of
Lebanon, and a number of others in a powerful bomb blast in February
2004. Mr. Hariri, who ceremonially opened UN-HABITAT’s Second
World Urban Forum in Barcelona last September, was awarded a Special
Citation on the 2004 Habitat Scroll of Honour for his work in
the post-conflict reconstruction of his country. “He has
provided leadership in achieving impressive results in planning,
project design and implementation and fund raising,” Mrs.
Tibaijuka said citing his drive to uplift and renovate the capital
Beirut, and the country after a 15-year civil way that ended in
1990. Mrs. Tibaijuka joined the Secretary-General in sending her
deepest condolences to Mr. Hariri’s wife and family, as
well as to all the other bereaved families. |
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| Sustainable human settlements Congratulations
on Habitat Debate’s new look.
We work with researchers from various countries, both in the north
and south, on political and legal aspects of sustainable cities, as
well as rural zones – in short, for sustainable human settlements
everywhere. (Habitat Debate, Volume 10, No. 3).
D. Robenko,
Centre de Recherches Interdisciplinaires en Droit de l’Environnement,
de l’Amenagement et de l’Urbanisme (CRIDEAU-CNRS/INRA),
32 rue Turgot – 87000 Limoges,
France.
Urban and rural problems should
not be treated separately
I wish to thank you for sending me your flagship magazine Habitat Debate
in 2004 which I received in both French and English.
It is an important wealth of information on the crucial living conditions
in poor countries, with its range of interesting opinions.
As I am invited to write to The Editor, I wish to take the occasion
to state that I fully agree that rural and urban problems cannot be
treated separately (Habitat Debate, Volume 10, No. 3). Besides all the
social, economic and commercial links between urban and rural dwellers,
the development of towns and cities has a direct impact on the countryside.
More and more city-dwellers in quest of clean air and some calm are
migrating to the countryside. Of course, there is movement in both directions.
I congratulate you on your contribution towards alleviating poverty
in the world.
Richard Randrianarisoa,
BP 3995,
101 Antananarivo,
Madagascar.
Upcoming issues
UN-HABITAT welcomes readers’ letters to stimulate the debate for
publication this page. We also
welcome brief articles of no more than 700 words related to topics in
forthcoming issues.
The remaining issues for the year 2005 are: Volume 11, No. 2 –
The urban downside: evictions, housing rights and street children. Deadline
30 April; Volume 11, No. 3 - Keeping the Promise, a special World Habitat
Day issue on the Millennium Development Goals. Deadline 30 June 2005;
and Volume 11, No. 4 – Urban Management – the legacy of
UN-HABITAT’s Urban Management Programme. Deadline 30 October 2005.
UN-HABITAT does not pay for articles, and like the letters, these
are published strictly at the discretion of the Editor and the Editorial
Board of Habitat Debate. The agency will not enter into verbal, postal
or e-mail discussion on any articles or letters it deems unsuitable
for publication. Write to habitat.debate@unhabitat.org,
or send a fax to +254-020-623477. Our postal address is: Information
Services Section (Habitat Debate), UN-HABITAT, P.O. Box 30030 GPO, 00100
Nairobi, Kenya.
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