Spend less on arms, more on poor: Sachin Pilot

UNITED NATIONS: Indian delegate Sachin Pilot stressed on the need for deeper commitment from world leaders to eliminate poverty at the three-day summit underway at the United Nations to consider the role youth leaders can play in promoting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

“It is possible to achieve them (goals) if there is political will, considering the fact that compared with the money world spends on armaments, only miniscule funds are needed to provide better life to people in the poor nations, something which they deserve," the MP said.

Pilot also detailed several schemes which India has undertaken in its efforts to meet the goals set by the world leaders at their summit in 2000.

Hundreds of youth leaders have gathered here for the meet which began yesterday.

Opening the meet, Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the "leaders of the future" that their involvement is essential if the goals including halving the absolutely poverty, universal primary education and halting spread of HIV/AIDS BY 2015 are to be met.

Annan said more than a billion people live on less than a dollar a day and three billion survive on less than two dollars a day.

More than 100 million school-aged children are not in school. Every day seven thousand youth become infected with HIV/AIDS and almost 30,000 children die of poverty, he said, adding, "these are grim statistics, but there are human faces behind them."

He regretted that even though every Government endorsed the Millennium Development Goals, "we are not making faster progress as we wanted."

He urged the young leaders to go back to their countries and remind their governments of the pledges they have made to translate the Millennium Development Goals into reality.

The participants were selected from among youth leaders who attended the regional and country meets and at the end of the summit, they would be made UN Goodwill Ambassadors, each will undertake to work for one particular goal.

After two years, the work done by each youth leader would be reviewed and those who have not taken their work seriously would have their status of UN Goodwill Ambassador revoked.

Director of the UN New York office of Sports for Development Djibril Diallo, the brain behind the event, said he expects that young leaders would use their energy and technological skills, which the older generation lacks, in tackling major socio economic challenges. 

The delegates will break into groups to discuss such issues as poverty and job creation; education, gender and maternal health care; and youth and peace-building. The event will conclude tomorrow with the adoption of a Summit Declaration.