Naglasivši da međunarodna zajednica mora ostati posvećena svom zacrtanom cilju iskorjenjivanja siromaštva, on je upozorio da bi, ako bi globalna finansijska kriza dovela do smanjenja strane pomoći zemljama u razvoju, to bilo "katastrofalno".
Stressing that the international community must remain committed to its stated goal of eradicating poverty, he warned that if the global financial crisis leads to a reduction in foreign aid to developing countries, it would be "disastrous".