And I believe that one of the major challenges the international community as well as international institutions face is the eradication of poverty. According to a World Bank classification, nearly 1.2 billion people continue to live in absolute poverty, with incomes of less than USD 1 a day. In many countries, durable economic and social progress remains elusive.
In most of these countries, trade has decreased and on average, economic growth has not kept pace with population growth. The situation in Africa is particularly dramatic because it is aggravated by the AIDS pandemic. The fight against global poverty is therefore the greatest challenge for stability and security in the 21st century.