Thomas Pogge: We need intelligent leadership

The world's political and economic elite have no interest in realizing the UN's Millennium Development Goals, said the professor of philosophy and international affairs at Yale University, Connecticut, USA. "The political and economic elite governing this world have much at stake in a continuation of the status quo. They have short time horizons," Pogge said at the conference held under the motto: "Culture. Education. Media - Shaping a Sustainable World." Pogge added that this elite also controls the media and national educational systems directly or indirectly. As such, he believes it is time to seek out a "second opinion" when it comes to finding solutions. Pogge recommends a "two front" approach: "We need better global governance institutions, which include the voices of the poor, and better global rules that reflect the interests of the poor." Of decisive importance in that process, Pogge said, is that a broad public understands what is going on in the world: "Educational institutions and the media have a crucial role to play."