Action urged on AIDS and poverty

The World Bank president, James Wolfensohn, has urged strengthened efforts to help Africa meet its targets to slash HIV/AIDS and poverty by 2015. Addressing delegates during the annual spring meeting of the Bank and the International Monetary Fund in Washington recently, Wolfensohn said this year provided a "last opportunity" to make the changes necessary for Africa to meet the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), established in 2000. The MDGs aim to cut global poverty in half by 2015, step up the fight against diseases such as AIDS and tuberculosis, and increase access to education. Agence France-Presse quoted Wolfensohn as saying, "With just a decade to go to 2015, achieving all the [goals] presents an enormous challenge. But we know that with the right policies and actions, rapid progress is possible, and the success of the better performing regions and countries, including in sub-Saharan Africa, provides hope for others."