In the midst of the global economic crisis, the increase in terrorism in some areas of the planet and the last throes of the armed conflict between Russia and Georgia, media from around the world are called to make space on their pages to poverty. That day, leaders from more than 190 countries around the world are called to assess progress since the eight Millennium goals for development (ODM) with the aim of halving poverty in the world by 2015 was signed in the year 2000. Despite the progress in different subjects and regions, world leaders will have to rethink their policies in the fight against poverty, poorly according to the evaluation report of the objectives of the 2008 Millennium complaint. Latin American leaders may show satisfaction by advances in education, care of children, access to drinking water, gender equality and maternal health in the region. However, the number of people living in poverty is maintained. These countries have virtually achieved universal schooling, since 95% of school-age children are enrolled in primary school. This improvement also affects directly and positively to gender equity, because almost all girls attend primary school and the secondary level there are more girls than boys enrolled.

In addition, 92% of the Latin American population has access to improved water sources, representing an increase of 84% compared to 1990; infant mortality has also been reduced in the region. The number of deaths of children under five years of age has passed a 72 per thousand in 1990 to 55 per thousand in 2006. The sanitary conditions of the Latin American mothers, especially during childbirth, are safer. The percentage of women who flock to delivery rooms and are attended by qualified medical personnel has risen significantly. Despite these improvements, if Latin America maintains the same policies in the fight against poverty, the region does not You can reduce by half the number of people living in poverty by 2015, something that many Latin American leaders attributed to population growth.

The issue that most worries the UN, both in this region and in the rest of the world, is hunger due to poor distribution of the resources of the planet and rising food prices. While in Latin America and the Caribbean enough food is produced to meet the needs of the 550 million people living in the region, malnutrition affects 10% of the population. You figure that in some mountainous areas of Guatemala exceeds 70%. The liberal economic system which now survives thanks to the intervention of bodies such as the European Central Bank (ECB) or the United States Federal Reserve has increased hunger and poverty. Civil society cannot allow politicians to come to her rescue while they forget the poorest. According to the FAO, the world needs $ 30 billion to end hunger, half of what the ECB he injected the banks on the same day that the U.S. Senate passed a Bill to allocate 612.000 million for defense spending in 2009. The Summit in New York is presented as an opportunity to remind world leaders that the eradication of poverty continues to your fingertips. It would suffice to change the order of your priorities.