MIAMI -- There's more of a will to solve global problems today than a century ago, and nations need to work together to solve the issues, the top United Nations development official said Wednesday in discussions with college students.

Kemal Dervis, head of the U.N. Development Program, spoke with students in Miami and San Jose, Calif., via videoconference from New York.

"So many of the problems now are global," Dervis said. "We need states, countries to work together within the framework of the United Nations."

He later added that a century ago people would say, "'It would be nice to get rid of poverty, but we don't have the resources and we don't have the know how.' Today, we actually do."

In addition to cutting poverty, Dervis said countries need to work together to stop the spread of AIDS and other diseases, ensure universal primary education, and expand access for the poor to clean water. He said the biggest threats to achieving those goals are violence, civil wars and organized crime.

The hour-long videoconference was organized by Generation Engage, a nonpartisan group that promotes civic engagement by young people. Students were at Miami-Dade College and San Jose State University.