UNifeed: GENEVA / ECONOMIC CRISIS WRAP

GENEVA / ECONOMIC CRISIS WRAP

Addressing the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in Geneva, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says higher food prices in 2008 had reversed the nearly two-decade trend in reducing hunger and momentum to reduce overall poverty in the developing world. UNTV / WTO

Duration:04:18Date:06 July 2009

Categories:

United Nations Television, ECONOMIC CONDITIONS,12.01.00, World Trade Organization

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Full Script

STORY: GENEVA / ECONOMIC CRISIS 
TRT: 4.18
STORY: UNTV
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE

SHOT DATE: 6 JULY, 2009, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

SHOTLIST– RECENT, GENEVA SWITZERLAND

1. Wide shot, exterior Palais des Nations flags,

6 JULY, 2009, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

2.  Wide shot, conference
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, United Nations: 
"Higher food prices in 2008 have reversed the nearly two-decade trend in reducing hunger.  Momentum to reduce overall poverty in the developing world is also slowing.  Tens of millions of people have been pushed into joblessness and greater vulnerability.  Some countries stand to miss their poverty reduction target. The target for eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005 has already been missed. If we are to achieve the sanitation target, 1.4 billion people must gain access to improved sanitation by 2015.We have been moving too slowly to meet our goals".
4. Cutaway, delegates.
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO):
"We are in a mess. The financial crisis, like an earthquake or a flood, where some fortunate, untouched part of the world can generously assist those who are suffering. All countries, rich and poor, north and south, are affected.  But this is a crisis that will hurt the poor the hardest and the longest.  Because of the financial crisis, people in affluent nations are loosing their jobs, their homes and their savings, and this is tragic.  In developing countries, they will loose their lives".
5. Wide shot, press conference
6. Wide shot, event poster
7. Wide shot, Ban Ki-moon greets Pascal lemy as they arrive to the conference
8. Wide shot, meeting
9. Med shot, ban takes podium

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, United Nations:
"Trade has long had tremendous potential as an engine of sustain economic growth and development. Today trade can and must be part of our efforts to stimulate recovery. That is why last month's United Nations conference on the world financial and economic crisis and its impact on development urged countries to meet existing pledges on aid for trade". 
11. Cutaway, delegates
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Pascal Lamy, Director General, World Trade Organization (WTO):
“When the recovery will begin is anyone's guess, but for every one concerns it's clear that it can't come too quickly. And on this one point is clear: if aid for trade was urgent in 2007, it has become essential today. It is the investment that will allow many developing countries that prepare to exit the crisis by enhancing their trade capacity”.
13. Cutaway, journalists
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Robert Zoellick, President, World Bank 
"Trade is one of the first sectors that were decimated by contracting consumption in high income countries. But it also will be one of the first sectors to recover, once the global economy picks up steam. Those countries that position themselves now to take advantage of a new trade will accelerate out of the recession with the fastest momentum. And all of this means that your efforts are promoting aid for trade and in keeping markets open during the current global crisis have assumed a new urgency. Our shared efforts to boost aid for trade, to help workers, farmers and consumers, engaged in trade, who paid dividends in expanded opportunities, lower poverty and higher growth".

STORYLINE:

The global recession makes achieving the Millennium Development Goals even more difficult, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told delegates at the opening session of the 2009 United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Annual ministerial review meeting in Geneva.

Ban urged developed countries to honor their commitments to increase financial and technical support to poor countries to help fight poverty.

He said the current economic crisis had caused widespread hardship and grief and urged world leaders to pay special attention to the poor and least responsible for the crisis.

Ban said although there was abundant evidence that aid can transform lives, aid commitments made by developed countries back in 2005 to help poor countries fight poverty remains 20 billion dollars below target.

Speaking at the start of the meeting, Margaret Chan, Director-General, World Health Organization warned that the financial crisis, climate change, and pandemic influenza will deepen the misery and worsen the health of poor countries.

"Greed seeded the financial crisis, which sprang out of control as corporate governance and risk management failed at every level of the system. Climate change is the price we now inevitably pay for short cited policies.

This year’s ECOSOC meeting will be focusing on the implementation of internationally agreed goals and commitments in regard to global public health.

Later in the day the World Trade Organization (WTO) launched the second global review of Aid for Trade-aimed at expanding the trade capacity of developing countries.
 
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon who also attended that conference said that trade had long had tremendous potential as an engine of sustained economic growth and development. He added that today trade could and must be part of the efforts to stimulate recovery.

Pascal Lamy, the Director-general of the WTO explained that the Aid for Trade meeting was designed to support developing countries as they seek to better integrate into the multilateral trading system and to take advantage of export opportunities.

Lamy also said the WTO and its Aid for Trade partners needed to build upon the progress achieved so far in regional and international aid for trade forums while enhancing the role of the private sector, private foundations and civil society to broaden the base of experiences and resources devoted to trade and development.

Also attending the Conference, the head of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick said that trade was one of the first sectors that were decimated by contracting consumption in high income countries. But he added that it also will be one of the first sectors to recover, once the global economy picks up steam.

Participants of the conference will discuss the progress made since the First Review, held in November 2007, and scrutinize how Aid for Trade is being put into operation in the field. Over the two days of the event, delegates will also exchange views on the progress in securing additional, predictable financing, and how aid flows can be maintained against the backdrop of the global recession.

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GENEVA / ECONOMIC CRISIS WRAP

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