DAVOS, SWITZERLAND - The British Prime Minister Tony Blair called on the international community to renew efforts to tackle the problems of poverty and deprivation in Africa, and climate change. Mr. Blair said the two issues would be priorities for the G-8 group of industrialized nations, which Britain chairs this year, and the European Union during the British presidency in the second half of 2005. "On both [problems], there are differences that need to be reconciled," Mr. Blair said in an address to participants at the opening plenary of the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting 2005. "If they could be reconciled or at least moved forward, it would make a huge difference to the prospects of international unity, as well as to people's lives and our future survival." Mr. Blair's remarks echoed the results of a global town hall meeting held earlier in the afternoon when about 700 Annual Meeting participants identified poverty, equitable globalization and climate change as the top three issues facing the world.

Speaking on climate change, the British Prime Minister outlined his vision of what he hopes to achieve whilst the UK is the President of the G8 group of nations. "Through the G8 process", he said, "I want to develop a package of practical measures, largely focused on technology, to cut emissions. And here I don't just mean research into new technologies, important though that is. I also think we need to work much harder to find ways to implement the vast range of low-carbon technologies that have already been developed. Energy efficiency. Renewable energy sources. Cleaner fossil fuels. Avoiding waste. All of this can be done, and often at a much lower cost than we realise."

During his visit to the World Economic Forum at Davos, UK Prime Minister Blair will host a Roundtable meeting with senior executives from leading global businesses to discuss climate change and the challenges it presents to businesses across the world. The Forum collaborated with the UK government in organizing this meeting with executives from 23 of its member companies, drawn from the energy, transport, aviation, minerals and mining, financial services, and high technology sectors. In his role as Chairman of the G8, Prime Minister Blair will use this opportunity to seek ideas from these business leaders on how companies, working within their industry sectors and in collaboration with governments, can address the challenge of climate change most effectively.

Commenting after his speech, Adair Turner, Senior Adviser and Vice Chairman of Merrill Lynch, said "Climate Change is one of the greatest challenges facing global society in the 21st century. Technologies exist to solve it without harming economic growth. But political leadership is needed to set the long-term targets which will unleash the power of the market. Tony Blair's speech today should put this leadership challenge at the centre of the global agenda."

Moving on to talk about Africa, Mr. Blair said that the Africa Commission which he established last May would issue a report in March that would attempt systematically and comprehensively to deal with all aspects of Africa's plight. The British leader said that aid to the continent must be increased Britain has proposed that it be doubled and 100% debt relief given to the most highly indebted nations. He noted that 300 million Africans do not have access to safe drinking water, while 6,000 people die each day from AIDS. "We cannot confront the endemic perpetual crisis of African poverty on any basis other than a partnership between African governments and those of the developed world," Blair declared.

The British Prime Minister argued that the interdependence of nations is now widely accepted and there is a common global agenda emerging. In addition to Africa and climate change, priorities would include maintaining vigilance and cooperation against global terrorism; the urgent need to revive the Middle East peace process; and the promotion of human rights, freedom and democracy.

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