| Mr. Rodrigo de Rato,
Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund
(IMF), welcomed today the UN Millennium Project's
report "Investing in Development: A Practical Plan
to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals," as an
important contribution to the international
community's efforts to halve global poverty by 2015.
"This report shows the enormous challenges facing
poor countries attempting to escape from poverty and
provides a broad strategy on how the Millennium
Development Goals might be attained by 2015," Mr. de
Rato stated. "It deserves close reading and
appropriate attention by all members of the
international community."
Mr. de Rato noted that the report is an important
contribution to the partnership for development
agreed in 2002 at the International Conference on
Financing for Development in Monterrey, Mexico.
Under the Monterrey Consensus, donors and developing
countries agreed that greater efforts on the part of
poor countries, particularly to ensure good
governance and a better investment climate, must be
matched by more comprehensive support from the
industrialized countries.
"UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan commissioned
this report two years ago," Mr. de Rato added, "to
advocate poverty reduction and create a broad road
map for achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
In the spirit of the Monterrey Consensus, the IMF is
committed to a strong and coordinated worldwide
effort to reduce poverty. I hope we are able to work
effectively with the international community to
achieve these aims."
The IMF was consulted and participated in
discussions with the UN Millennium Project.
See related documents:
The IMF and the Millennium Development Goals, A
Factsheet - September 2004.
Remarks by Rodrigo de Rato, Managing Director of the
International Monetary Fund, at the Summit of World
Leaders for Action Against Hunger and Poverty, New
York, September 20, 2004.
IMF/World Bank Report Calls for Urgent Action on
Poverty Reduction by All Countries (Press Release
No. 04/85). |
