As the millennium approaches, the globe has never been more connected: technology and business rush forward, partnerships cross borders, the Internet breaks old barriers of communication - and yet at the same time, poverty has sharply increased. Development and underdevelopment have reached hyperbolic peaks.

International assistance from wealthy countries to poorer countries has dwindled to its lowest point in twenty years. Official Development Assistance (ODA) fell fro m .35 % of donor countries 'GDP in 1981 to .22% in 1997. With few exceptions, such as Denmark, rich countries are farther than ever from meeting the original UN recommendation of 0.7% of their gross national product (GNP).

Part of the problem of poverty lies in how we see it. We need to rethink the problem on several levels. The UNDP Human Development Report attempts to replace income-defined poverty with a development-based perspective. It considers factors like life expectancy, literacy levels, social and political climate and access to basic necessities like potable water and health care.

Finally we must question our underlying assumptions about poverty: the problem might not be the poor, but the rich. Conflicts created by poverty only fuel more poverty. But prosperity also yields a virtuous cycle, which affects us all.