Global leaders focus on poverty reduction at financing for development conference.
Aug 17, 2015 At the Third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Global leaders paid great attention to the importance of the commitment to reduce poverty and promote inclusive growth
The four day event saw about 7,000 stakeholders, including government representatives, corporate leaders and civil society leaders, meet to find strategies for sustainable development.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was at the event and spoke at the conference’s opening ceremony
“The annual financing for development forum provides the international community with a fresh opportunity to ensure an integrated and dedicated follow-up process on financing for development. Let us make full use of it,”
Global leaders who attended are expected to adopt the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, a financing framework that will support the implementation of the UN Post-2015 Development Agenda, It will succeed the Millennium Development Goals.
Hailemariam Desalgn, Prime Minister of Ethiopia had this to say.
“The soaring ambition of the sustainable development goals will only mean something if the intention that we bring to delivering them through the Addis Ababa Action Agenda is every bit as ambitious as the goals themselves. If it is not, we will let down the people we represent and ultimately be blamed for years to come for lack of seriousness,”
This is the first time the development conference is being held in Africa and many African heads of state at the conference shared their desire to implement well-crafted and balanced policies that protect ecosystems and provide bright futures for global citizens.
Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said
“Our destiny as humanity is one: that we want to end poverty that we want to preserve the planet for future generations, that we want a global order that cares for everyone,”
Kenya’s President, Uhuru Kenyatta was part of the meet as well and his opinion was
“As a community of world leaders we must realize that billions of global citizens expect us to deliver stewardship and practical solutions to the challenges and needs of all humanity,”
Chair of the African Union Commission Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, stressed the need for global solidarity to make this a reality.
“Poverty is not a one-country-issue; it’s not a one-person-issue. It’s an issue of humanity, and as the collective will of humanity we should be able to say what are we going to do to deal with poverty on the globe,”