Governments are failing to respond to an emergency appeal. They must put their hands in their pockets and pay their fair share.

Agreements on measures designed to help stop future genocides and on reforms to the United Nations will go right down to the wire. The UK is a key negotiator and must do whatever it can to save the United Nations summit from failure. This includes standing up to the US and the Non-Aligned Movement who are set to block key measures like those designed to prevent future genocides.

Until a one billion-dollar fund exists, the chaotic passing of the begging bowl will go on and people who survived disaster will continue to die while they wait for aid.

These delays can cost thousands of people their lives. What will it take rich countries to learn this obvious lesson?

France's argument that the CAP is used primarily to support its small farmers rings hollow. Europe's regime of farm subsidies goes to the wealthiest landowners and destroys the livelihoods of poor farmers.

We declared it an emergency, because we can't pay it back by the end of the year. So we have six months past the beginning of the year to pay it back. We'll pay it back by March, probably, but we do have until June.