[b e s ty - // u p d a t e s]

On November 19, Stephen Timms, UK Chief Secretary to the Treasury, spoke to the Oaktree Conference in Melbourne to close the conference, just after the G20 had finished.

The full text of his speech is available on the Treasury website, but I thought i'd just draw your attention to a few areas of the speech below.

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"Twenty years ago, the brightest young people wanted to be assured they were going to maximise their earnings. Today, for many, that isn't enough. A lot of young people today want to be confident as well that, in their working lives, they are going to be able to contribute to solving the world's big problems. Companies are having to respond. It's a powerful lever for change, and I hope all of you will in your lives be at the forefront of demanding that organisations you are involved with will help achieve justice for the world's poor."

"On current progress, we will fall a very long way short of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. "

Developing countries need ambitious, credible long term plans, and then to be able demand that donors like Britain, who have committed to provide the funding, step forward and deliver.

"So what role can Oaktree play in reaching the Millennium Development Goals? I see it in three ways.
First, your volunteering project work in itself plays a crucial part directly, by helping to empower communities in the developing world. Nobody must underestimate the importance of this.
Second, as young leaders here and overseas you promote the exchange of ideas, forge crucial links, raise expectations, develop knowledge, and expand horizons by building partnerships.

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Thirdly and lastly, you play a role through campaigning, by building public support. The important progress we have seen through Make Poverty History -and it has been very important- has been brought about by large numbers of ordinary people in this movement and others demanding change. You are the future. It is your world. You need to build the public alliances that will hold leaders like me to account. "

A world without poverty is possible; it is up to Oaktree, to you in this room this afternoon, to persuade other people to join in achieving that vision. It can be done, and it must be. Let's work together to make sure that it is.

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Again, perhaps people are beginning to stand up and listen. Perhaps, after all, our efforts are not in vain.