Accra, (Greater Accra) 17 Oct.,

About half of Sub-Saharan Africa's population would be living in absolute poverty by the year 2000. A United Nation's Development Programme (UNDP) report which aims at responding to world poverty, said this is because the region has the highest incidence of both income and human poverty. The report said poverty afflicts all countries, both developed and developing, but ''unless the growth in impoverishment is halted, the gap between the poor and the rich will widen further.'' ''This will challenge international peace and security,'' it said. UNDP estimates show that one-quarter of the developing world's population lives in human poverty, lacking the basics required for a decent life while almost one-third, which represents 1.3 billion people, currently lives on less than a dollar a day. Moreover, more than a billion people lack access to safe water while about 840 million go hungry every day and face food insecurity. Women comprise 70 per cent of the world's poor. The report further revealed that nearly a third of the people living in the least developed countries are not expected to live to the age of 40. Nevertheless, the UNDP has pledged to play its part in sustaining development for poor countries through coordinated follow- ups of global conferences in critical areas such as poverty eradication, the advancement and empowerment of women, good governance and environmental management. UNDP says this programme forms part of its ''central mission and overriding objective'' since it is United Nations' principal assistance agency for the developing world and countries in transition. The agency's main role would be to help countries to build the capacity to eradicate poverty, using targets set nationally, regionally and globally at UN conferences. This role would be played by emphasising on the economic, legal and political empowerment of the poor, especially women. UNDP is at the moment assisting over 80 countries to formulate and implement national anti-poverty strategies and working with over 32 countries on reconciliation, re-integration and reconstruction.