The rock star said that half way to the 2015 deadline, the world had reached a critical moment - and there was no sign yet that it would step up to it. -- PHOTO: AP

Standing together, surrounded by other VIPs at the World Economic Forum, they said it was unconscionable that nearly 1 billion people struggle to survive on less than US$1 (S$1.44) a day, half the developing world still lacks basic sanitation, 72 million children are still not in school and Aids continues to wreak havoc on poor nations.

'We are here to say one thing loud and clear: Not on our watch,' said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon. 'We should be the champions of the weak and disadvantaged, those who suffer the most grinding poverty.'

Halfway to a 2015 deadline to implement sweeping UN goals to cut extreme poverty by half, give all children an elementary education, improve access to clean water and reverse the Aids pandemic, there have been some successes - but significant shortfalls, particularly in Africa.

'We tell the truth'
'In Davos we tell the truth,' said British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, 'that there is a development and poverty emergency around the world, that if we do not act we have no chance of meeting the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.' 'We must summon everyone who is concerned about this - governments, private companies, NGOS, churches, faith groups in a call to action to take urgent measures so that we can meet the goals by 2015,' he said.

Mr Brown said he was calling a meeting of private companies in May to galvanise support to meet the goals. He said the issue will also be high on the agenda of the European Council and the G-8 meeting in Japan in July.

Sept meeting
Mr Ban said he is inviting world leaders to a high-level meeting in New York in September to spur political momentum to meet the goals.

'Let 2008 be the year of the bottom billion,' Mr Ban said.

Bill Gates, who later this year will be stepping down as Microsoft chairman to concentrate full-time on his massive philanthropic foundation, led by example, announcing a grant of US$306 million to help millions of African farmers and others work their way out of poverty.

'All of these goals are important,' Mr Gates said. 'We are drawing in more people. We can make more progress. So it's important to be part of this endeavour. It's the most important work in the world.' 'We can make more progress, so it's important to be part of this endeavour,' Mr Gates said. 'It's the most important work in the world.'

Blunt call
There was a far blunter call to arms from the straight-talking U2 frontman Bono, a frequent invitee to Davos who rarely misses an opportunity to talk truth to power.

The rock star said that half way to the 2015 deadline, the world had reached a critical moment - and there was no sign yet that it would step up to it.

'This is the moment when our generation gets to draw a line in the sand - or snow,' he said, a reference to Davos' Alpine setting.

'Where other generations put a man on the moon, we can't put every kid in school. ... Where other generations fought fascism and injustice and prevailed, we fail in our fight against the anopheles mosquito, which kills 3,000 children a day (as a transmitter of malaria).'

Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua said, 'For us in Africa this is going to be a great challenge, and we will work hard to achieve it.' It 'is a sacred duty,' he added.

Whether anyone was listening to the clarion call coming out of this Swiss Alpine village, a playground for the rich far removed from the struggles of the poor, was anybody's guess.

Helping the less fortunate
After two days focused on the world's teetering economy and intractable political conflicts, the forum focused on Friday on humanity's less fortunate. One panel looked at a three-year drive to boost malaria control across sub-Saharan Africa, another focused on the need for clean water.

Despite the bad news on the UN goals, there has been some progress since 2000, according to the Mr Gates panel.

Some 2 million lives are saved each year by immunisation, 41 million more children are in school, and polio, leprosy and neonatal tetanus are close to elimination. African economies that have in the past been left behind have been growing at a 6 per cent rate for the past three years, and are set to grow even faster in the future.

Nevertheless, progress has been slow and the panellists all warned that a far greater commitment was necessary if the goals are to be met.

Queen Rania of Jordan, another panellist, said the magnitude of the problem and the silent suffering of those affected should not be an excuse for inaction.

'Just because we can't send wailing sirens to the scene doesn't mean it is not an emergency. It is an emergency.' -- AP