Anglican Communion News Service - Digest News

At United Nations high-level event, 25 September

Business, Foundation and Activist Leaders to Announce Initiatives as Part of Mobilization to Reach Millennium Development Goals

“The High-level Event on the Millennium Development Goals to be held on 25 September 2008 will gather together world leaders to discuss and translate new and existing commitments into decisive and timely action to ensure that all countries can achieve the Millennium Development Goals. It is my firm hope that we will be able to look back on this day as the moment when the world got back on track to reaching the Goals.” UN Secretary-General BAN Ki-moon

Who: Nearly 100 Heads of State and Government will be joined by leaders from the private sector, foundations and citizen activist groups, as convened by UN General Assembly President Miguel D’Escoto Brockmann and Secretary-General BAN Ki-moon – to commit to further actions to make the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) a reality.

When: Thursday, 25 September 2008

Where: United Nations Headquarters, 1st Avenue and 46th Street, New York

What: At the halfway point towards the 2015 target date to achieve the Goals, the UN Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly will bring together world leaders to review progress, identify gaps, and commit to concrete action to bridge the gaps. By asking leaders to announce their specific plans, the High-level Event will help accelerate implementation and follow-through.

· Recent successes in the developing world (e.g. increased school enrolment, agricultural productivity and access to clean water, progress towards eradicating malaria and expansion of AIDS treatment) demonstrate that rapid progress is possible in achieving the MDGs when sound policies are matched with increased aid and technical support.

· But many countries are off-track – none of the Goals are likely to be met in Africa if current trends continue, and even in middle-income countries, large pockets of people still live in extreme poverty. The urgency to intensify efforts on the MDGs is heightened by the rise in food and fuel prices, and the increasing challenge of climate change.

· The High-level Event is being convened during the annual General Assembly debate (opening 23 September) and will follow a high-level meeting on Africa’s development needs (22 September). 

· At many partnership events, leaders from government, business, foundations and civil society, often working in broad coalitions, are expected to announce new concrete actions to spur achievement of the Goals.

A complete list of events can be found on the website for the High-Level Event on MDGs: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/2008highlevel

Item from: United Nations