U.N. agency to use World Bank strategies

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 16 (UPI) -- Economic partnerships and expanded technology use are key tools needed to reach U.N. poverty-reduction goals, the head of the U.N. Development Program said.

Kemal Dervis, the new head of the UNDP, said, "An important focus is to link the MDG work to the poverty-reduction strategies that are often sponsored by the World Bank.

Economically minded poverty reduction tactics, such as the expanded use of technology and the formation of strategic economic partnerships between disadvantaged nations could incorporate MDG objectives, such as food security and universal primary school education, building capacity and furthering development at the same time, said Dervis.

Assisting nations with capacity building is the U.N. agency's primary role, Dervis said.

Laid out five years ago, the MDGs outline the United Nation's commitments to poverty reduction and global development and prescribe quantitative indicators to assess progress towards those goals.