Protests against Ahmadinejad's visit and world poverty are voiced in New York on the eve of a UN summit.

Demonstrators in New York voice their protest at the visit of Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

He arrived on Sunday to attend the United Nations Millennium Development Goals summit and also address the U.N.'s General Assembly.

Various groups are campaigning for a change of government in Iran and for an end to alleged human rights abuses in the Islamic state.

[Sahand Khoshbaten, "No to Ahmadinejad Committee" Organizer]: (English)
"It's basically the voice of the Iranian people who want regime change, democratic regime change there. We believe that by means of the people themselves and Iran's main opposition group that we would be able to overthrow the Iranian government to establish democracy in that country."

Still in New York, hundreds of protesters gathered for a different cause - the fight against poverty.

The U.N. summit will review pledges made 10 years ago to cut poverty and hunger, expand access to education, boost gender equality, improve basic health services and fight against diseases which disproportionately affect the world's poor.

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization said world hunger must be tackled NOW.

[Annika Soder, Assistant Director General, Food & Agriculture Organization]: (English)
"More than 900 million, almost one billion people suffer from undernourishment. It's possible to do something about it and we want to support the voices of those hungry people to make governments take action in order for them to be able to grow their own food or buy their own food."

So far only one of the Millennium Development Goals - halving global poverty - is on track to be met by the 2015 deadline.