GHANA: United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon says surge in global food prices risks setting back world's anti-poverty efforts

Record ID: 560256

  • Title: GHANA: United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon says surge in global food prices risks setting back world's anti-poverty efforts
  • Date: 21st April 2008
  • Summary: (BN15 ) ACCRA, GHANA (APRIL 20, 2008) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ROOM WITH FLAGS AND DELEGATES SEATED GHANA'S PRESIDENT, JOHN KUFUOR, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL BAN KI-MOON, AND BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA BAN AND OTHER OFFICIALS SEATED KUFUOR SEATED (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL, BAN KI-MOON, SAYING: "Unless we rethink our strategies, unless we go beyond this stay rhetoric of redoubling our efforts, we will betray our promises to millions of our world poor. As Robert Shellic of World Bank warned last week the run up in global food prices will mean seven lost years in our work over the millennium development goals. We risk of being set back to square one in other words." CAMERAMEN (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL BAN KI-MOON, SAYING: "If not handled properly, this crisis could trigger the cascade of others and develop into multiple crises, becoming a multi-dimensional problem, affecting economic growth, social progress and even political security around the world." VARIOUS OF OFFICIALS LEAVING
  • Embargoed: 6th May 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Ghana
  • Country: Ghana
  • Topics: International Relations,Economic News
  • Reuters ID: LVA39EWKFVFJJP0UNXBRKMF5L0SJ
  • Story Text: The surge in global food prices risks setting back the world's anti-poverty efforts and, if not properly handled, could hurt global growth and security, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said on Sunday (April 20).
    Opening a U.N. trade and development conference in Accra, Ghana, Ban said the huge increases in prices of food staples like cereals since last year could erase progress made towards U.N.-set goals of halving world poverty by 2015.
    "Unless we rethink our strategies, unless we go beyond this stay rhetoric of redoubling our efforts, we will betray our promises to millions of our world poor. As Robert Shellic of World Bank warned last week the run up in global food prices will mean seven lost years in our work over the millennium development goals. We risk of being set back to square one in other words," he said.
    The food price surge has sharply increased the risk of hunger and poverty in developing countries and has already sparked food riots in parts of Asia and Africa.
    "If not handled properly, this crisis could result in a cascade of others and develop into multiple crises and become a multidimensional problem affecting economic growth, social progress and even political security around the world," Ban told the conference.
    The U.N. chief noted that several countries had moved to try to offset the food squeeze by barring exports of rice and wheat, or introducing incentives for easier imports of foodstuffs.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register