Prince Talal addresses Arab Development Funds Meeting

Riyadh, June 29, SPA -- Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz, President of The
Arab Gulf Program for United Nations Development Organizations
(AGFUND) stressed Monday that the developing world and the region, in
particular, need institutional development that can contribute to
addressing the consequences of the global crisis, which has
overturned the balance.

On behalf of Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz, his Personal Representative
Prince Turki bin Talal bin Abdulaziz delivered the President's speech
at the inauguration of the 65th coordinating meeting of Arab
Development Funds and Institutions hosted by the Program in Riyadh
earlier today.

In his speech, Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz called on Arab funds for
investing in the media skillfully and wisely so as to project the
significant contribution of the Arabs in opening outlets of hope for
the needy, supporting countries without discrimination and assisting
them to meet their obligations towards their peoples and to push
forward the world peace.


Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz said," We are not far from the deadline of
2015 set by the United Nations to achieve the Millennium Development
Goals and the achievement of the goal of reducing the rate of the
poverty by 50 per cent that is below the required level".

In this regard, he noted that AGFUND's Program for combating poverty
through the establishment of Banks for the Poor targeting women and
weaker classes, pointing out that 4 Arab countries including Jordan,
Egypt, Yemen and Bahrain joined the banks system in less than five
years and that Syria and the Sudan are about to join the system.

--SPA