British Prime Minister Calls For More Work On Relieving Global Poverty

Gordon Brown, the British prime minister, is asking charities, churches, and corporations to do more to help the world’s poor.

Mr. Brown told The Guardian newspaper, that more needs to be done to meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goals by 2015. “2008 should be a development year and mark a call to action from everyone — not just rich and poor governments but civil society, faith groups, trade unions, and even the private sector,” he said.

The Millennium Development Goals are seven antipoverty and health goals, such as reducing by half the number of people who are suffering from hunger. Last week, Unicef released a report on the world’s progress toward meeting the goals, which were set in 2000.

According to the report, several strides have been made. But serious problems remain. For example, treatment of pneumonia and malaria, which together each year account for more than a quarter of the deaths of children under five years old, has been slow to expand.

Given the report’s findings, it is unlikely the world will meet the development goals, The Guardian reports.

What do you think? What can nonprofit groups and companies do to help countries reach the development goals?