WASHINGTON - With extreme poverty having been cut in half over the last generation — and the Millennium Development Goals target of poverty halving having been achieved five years ahead of the 2015 deadline — veterans of the global war on poverty believe it is possible that extreme poverty can be wiped out in the next 15 years.

The planet produces enough food to feed everyone, yet more than 800 million people go hungry every day.

TORONTO - While progress has been made towards the Millennium Development Goals of improving maternal health and reducing child mortality, challenges remain in order "to reach the most vulnerable and to reach those most excluded," said Rosemary McCarney, co-chair of the Canadian Network for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.