Aid group warns against changing anti-poverty aims

LONDON, Monday (Reuters) Millions of people in developing countries will die prematurely if Washington succeeds in changing United Nations' plans to reduce poverty, a campaign group said on Monday.

The United States is demanding changes to the final declaration of a Sept. 14-17 summit due to be held at the United Nations, including deleting goals aimed to halve poverty and hunger, ensure universal primary education and stem AIDS by 2015. ActionAid said unless the summit kept promises made by the Group of Eight industrialised nations in July, and also pledged new action on aid, debt and trade, the world body would miss its target of halving poverty by 2015.

"ActionAid warns of millions of early deaths and millions of children denied education unless (British Prime Minister) Tony Blair and other world leaders block a U.S. bid to water down commitments in dozens of key areas," the charity said.

Less than two weeks before the summit, nations are sharply divided over tackling poverty, reforming the world body, human rights, terrorism, intervention in case of genocide and proliferation.

Washington, which has presented over 500 changes to the summit's final declaration, says it has never agreed to the development aid target set by most rich nations of 0.7 percent of GDP and does not want to make firm spending commitments at the summit.

ActionAid said in a new report that 100 million more people are living in poverty in Africa than 15 years ago. Since 1990, life expectancy in Africa has fallen by 15 years - largely through HIV and AIDS.

"Our research shames the wealthiest nations in its shocking evidence of how their lack of action traps millions of people in poverty," said Patrick Watt, author of the report. "The world's poor will not forgive them if they waste a vital opportunity ... both to reaffirm their commitments and agree further action," he added.

The report, entitled Development Under Attack, said people had witnessed deaths from starvation and hunger in the previous year in one in four of the villages surveyed.

The charity conducted over 340,000 interviews in 5,000 communities in countries including Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Senegal, Tanzania, Nigeria and Brazil.

In July, the world's G8 group of industrialised countries agreed at a summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, to more than double aid to Africa by 2010.