United Nations Fund for Population Affairs (UNFPA) yesterday said it would cost the world $2bn (about N268 billion) to tackle poverty, illiteracy and dwindling health conditions of people around the globe, particularly in third world countries.

The agency said the amount is all that is needed to fulfill to push through pledges made to improve the lives of the world's most margnialized population.

Speaking while presenting the 2005 State of the World Population to a gathering in Abuja, the UNFPA representative in Nigeria, Mr. Essan Niangoran said the pathetic situation of things in most developing countries demands urgent action to increase expenditures in the area of girl-child education, sexual and reproductive health in order to improve maternal health, reduce poverty and combat HIV/AIDS.

He called on world leaders, as they gather to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the United Nations, to prepare to invest more money on winning the war on poverty and gender equity in their countries.

Niangoran said the report of the UN body on efforts by many countries to transform the lives of the poor rural women and children has brought to the fore the enormity of challenges facing the implementation of intervention programmes as provided in the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).

The MDGs seeks for protection of human rights, safeguarding human dignity, personal security and to freedom from want, fear and discrimination.

Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Chief Samu'ila Dako Makama, in his speech suggested the setting of specific quotas for women in all spheres of our national life as a way of mitigating discriminations against women.