Concluding a two-day meeting at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), UNO officials have warned that global economic shocks may push 16mn people into poverty in America. And, it would be hard to achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the region.

 

Alicia Barcena, executive secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean informed that though there has been reduction of poor people in the region and they now have come down to 35% from 48% in 2007, the miracle has happened thanks to economic growth and poverty reduction strategies.

 

The meeting held to coordinating among 13 UN agencies and ensuring continuous progress on the MDGs in the America showed that they have partially been successful in their effort. Interestingly, MDGs are goals to reduce or eliminate poverty and other issues by 2015.

 

MDGs set under UNO millennium summit are ambitious projects. Mirta Roses Periago, director of PAHO said that Latin America and the Caribbean done has well in achieving MDGs, particularly in areas like infant mortality, hunger and poverty reduction. ‘But not all groups have benefited equally,’ she concluded.