by Katherine Miller, executive director of communications, UN Foundation

Speaking today at the World Savers Congress, professional poverty fighter Jeffrey Sachs challenged the travel industry to help make billion people who travel each year global ambassadors.

The Congress, sponsored by Conde Nast Traveller, is an invitation-only gathering of leaders in the travel industry. Once a year they come together to look at new strategies on environmental and cultural preservation, wildlife preservation, health education, and poverty alleviation.

Sachs kicked things off by first thanking the people in the room for keeping him fed, safe, and comfortable as he travels more than a million miles each year. Once the laughs subsided, he got down to business and asked the audience to recognize that travel is one of the keys to understanding diverse cultures in diverse circumstances. "No one can understand extreme poverty until they have seen it," Sachs said. "But travelers shouldn't be scared of what they might experience. It is up to you to help them try new things that may enrich and change their lives."