United Nations Radio

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has written the G-8 leaders to tell them that the world is facing three challenges that require their urgent attention: the food crisis, climate change, and progress on the Millennium Development Goals.

In a letter to the leaders prior to his attending the Group of 8 meeting in Japan, the Secretary-General warns that on the food crisis, "if we do not act decisively, an additional 100 million people may fall below the poverty line worldwide.

He recommends an increase in the proportion of Official Development Assistance that goes to agricultural production and rural development, from the current level of three percent to a new level of 10 percent, without diverting funds from existing education or health budgets.

On climate change, the Secretary-General says that "we must arrive at a shared vision of what a new climate change agreement will look like, addressing all the building blocks agreed upon in Bali.

And he urges leaders to scale up efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

This is Donn Bobb reporting for United Nations Radio.

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