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	UN development agenda has reached ‘critical juncture’ by United Nations News   30 June 2008   The United Nations has reached “a critical juncture” in the implementation of its development agenda, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, with soaring oil and food prices, turmoil in the financial markets, inequality and climate change all threatening to strike hardest at the world’s poorest people.   In a message to the opening of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), held at UN Headquarters in New York, Mr. Ban said urgent collective action was needed, particularly to address imbalances in the global economy.   Scepticism about globalization is widespread, amid concerns that it is leaving the most vulnerable behind and increasing economic insecurity among the middle classes worldwide, Mr. Ban added, in a message delivered by Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.   “No social or economic order is secure if it fails to benefit the majority of those who live under it,” he said.   “From this perspective, we all should have serious concerns about a system whose wealthiest 400 citizens command, as a group, more resources than its bottom billion. Yet we also need to beware of the risks of a severe backlash against globalization, which could significantly curtail the opportunities and benefits of a more closely integrated world.”   Mr. Ban voiced concern that development assistance is still provided inconsistently. “Some countries enjoy the attention of the international community, while others find it harder to attract funding. As a result, some countries receive less aid than would be expected on the basis of their needs or performance.”   Aid is also spreads unevenly between sectors, he said, with agriculture experiencing a marked decline in aid in recent decades, “a particularly worrying trend” given the soaring prices of foods and other basic commodities.   Surging food and oil prices, along with global financial turmoil, have made cooperation essential to reach development goals, Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) President Leo Mérorès said.   Least developing countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing states will be particularly affected, he said in his address to the ECOSOC.   “We need to work together and help one another to weather the difficult time but also to set into motion a long-term series of steps which will help address the structural and systemic problems which have led the world to this state,” he added.   Sustainable development is the best way to achieve progress in the face of climate change, desertification and biodiversity loss, sustainable development, Mr. Mérorès said. “It is time to make a difference in the way we think and act.”   Although they represent about 15 per cent of the world community, Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States share of world exports has remained well below 1 per cent of the global trade.
	Russians scrimp on food as prices skyrocket by Reuters Russia   Moscow, June 2008   Nearly half of the Russian population is scrimping on food because of radically rising prices, according to a new survey.   In May alone, the inflation rate for food in Russia grew by more than 2 per cent and since the start of the year, food prices have jumped by 11.6 per cent.   That is almost four times the rate of European Union countries for the same period and it seems those hikes are having an effect on people"s diets.   A new survey by a research company called VTSIOM indicates that 45 per cent of respondents say they have had to cut back on what they eat.   One social worker has told Russian media that for some people, it has got to the point where they have to choose between buying bread or milk.
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