Mexican president floats global anti-poverty plan in U.N. speech

(Reuters) -Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday pitched a global anti-poverty plan that seeks to uplift some 750 million poor people who live on less than $2 a day and would be financed largely by rich.

In a speech to the United Nations, Lopez Obrador stressed that the plan could give the world’s poor masses “a dignified life” thanks to voluntary contributions from the richest individuals, corporations and countries. Lopez Obrador proposed that the program be funded by an annual 4% contribution from the fortunes of the 1,000 richest people and corporations, plus a donation from G20 countries equivalent to 0.2% of their economies.

“The resources of this fund must reach the beneficiaries directly, without any intermediaries, by means of a personalized card or electronic wallet,” he said, adding that the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund could help design the fund. Mexico holds the rotating presidency of the 15-member U.N. Security Council and Lopez Obrador spoke at the session at the body’s New York headquarters. The leftist leader made the comments on only his second trip outside Mexico during his first three years as president.