Accra, Feb.25, GNA- Mr Alfred Sallia Fawundu, the out-going UNDP Country Director, has lauded the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) as emerging bedrock for global development and intended to end human poverty. He said the over 1.5 billion people living below the poverty line are captured in the MDG for attention.

Mr Fawundu was addressing a cocktail organised by the United Nations System in Ghana in Accra for journalists and to bid him farewell after ending his 32 years service with the UN in Ghana. He said the vision of the MDG, which is a development framework of the UN, is striving to minimise child mortality, a bane of the third world and other health challenges like Tuberculosis and malaria and management of the environment.

Mr Fawundu said the MDG would facilitate "the very ambitious" Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy. "MDG is about planning based on needs," adding that, the world is requested to provide 60 billion dollars a year to achieve the objectives.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) later, he tasked African leaders to confront the development challenges facing the continent by floating all human resources being depleted by migration. "Ours is about total transformation of society." Cheerful Mr Fawundu said he was voluntarily retiring to serve his country- Sierra Leone in any capacity. " I will be 56 years next month," he said.

Ms Margaret Novicki, United Nations Information and Communication Director, in Ghana said the large representation of organs of the UN in Ghana was a testimony of the world body's dedication to the country. She expressed joy about the cooperation the UN receives from the media in Ghana and the initiative of some journalists in launching an appeal for funds for tsunami victims.

Ms Adjoa Yeboah- Afari, President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), commended Mr Fawundu for his efforts to get the International Press Centre in Accra, completed. " UNDP was the second highest donor for the project apart from President John Agyekum Kufuor, who donated the building."

On Wednesday President Kufuor commended Mr Fawundu for his tremendous support to development in Ghana, saying, " You have been such a refreshing change of the UN support for development in Ghana". The President was interacting with Mr Fawundu, who called on him to bid him farewell.