Thursday, March 27, 2008
Yudhoyono to Ask UN to Address Impact of World Oil, Food Price Hikes
Source: Antara

Jakarta - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is to ask the United Nations (UN) to take initiatives to deal with the impact of the current surges in world crude oil and food prices which was causing economic difficulties, especially in developing countries.

"I very much hope that the UN will take proactive steps by marshaling global awareness and responsibility to manage the economy of the world and all countries in view of the current surges in oil and food prices," the President said in a press statement at his office here on Thursday.

The current world crude oil and food price hikes had severely affected the financial conditions of many developing countries and would make the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) target for 2015 set by the UN very difficult to achieve, he said.

Therefore, the Indonesian president called on all world leaders to pay serious attention to the matter, just as they do toward the climate change issue.

Yudhoyono also asked world oil and food producers to be morally and socially responsible for the economic hardships the peoples in many countries were experiencing due to the oil and food price hikes.

"It`s not fair to let these conditions continue. Many countries and peoples have to suffer because of the economic difficulties happening in the world," he said.

Yudhoyono said he would send a letter about the problem to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon in the near future. He hoped that the UN could take appropriate actions to address the impact of the surges in the prices of the two commodities.

"I very much hope that there will be a positive response from the United Nations and other parties. Meanwhile, the government will not lessen its efforts to cope with these problems to ensure continuous and safe economic growth and lighten the people`s burden," Yudhoyono said.