WUNRN
http://www.un-ngls.org/spip.php?page=mdg2010 -
This UN-NGLS (UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service) website will report on all the
latest developments related to the summit, give voice to perspectives from
civil society, and provide information on how to be engaged in the summit
process.
____________________________________________________________
15 March 2010
Important UN MDG
20-22
September 2010,
This
briefing paper is intended to provide information and background on the
upcoming United Nations High-level Plenary Meeting on the Millennium
Development Goals – or MDG summit - which will take place from 20-22 September
at UN Headquarters in
What is
the MDG
Following
on a proposal by the UN Secretary-General, the General Assembly has decided to
convene an MDG summit (High-level Plenary Meeting) on 20-22 September, with the
primary objective to accelerate progress towards all the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) by 2015, taking into account the progress made towards the
internationally agreed development goals (A/RES/64/184). The summit is expected
to undertake a comprehensive review of successes, best practices and lessons
learned, obstacles and gaps, challenges and opportunities, “leading to concrete
strategies for action”. The President of the General Assembly has appointed two
‘Co-facilitators’ to lead the inter-governmental negotiating process. They will
likely wait until after the UN Secretary-General releases his report on the
MDGs in March to begin. The Co-facilitators are the Ambassadors of
In
addition to the official preparatory process, a number of related events and
reports will feed into government deliberations leading to the September
summit.
Of
particular relevance to civil society organisations are the Hearings of the
General Assembly – a part of the official process - that will be convened from
14-15 June 2010 in
Why is
the summit being convened?
The
MDGs incorporate key goals and targets of the broader development agenda,
agreed upon by world leaders and other stakeholders at different UN Summits and
Conferences. Thus, the MDGs are not about extreme poverty only, but also
include goals and targets for education, maternal health, child mortality,
public health, environmental sustainability and biodiversity. By linking the
MDGs to the internationally agreed development agenda (IADA), world leaders and
development partners have recognized the synergies among various development
goals and targets, and the need for an integrated approach for achieving them.
Ten
years on from the original adoption of the MDGs at the 2000 Millennium Summit,
and despite remarkable progress in some countries, collectively we are falling
short in their achievement. The consequence of these shortfalls, further aggravated
by the combined effects of the global food, climate, energy and economic
crises, is that improvements in the lives of the poorest are happening at an
unacceptably slow pace and in some countries, hard fought gains are being
eroded. At the current pace, several of the eight MDGs and associated targets
are likely to be missed in many countries. The challenges are most severe in
the least developed countries (LDCs), land-locked developing countries (LLDCs)
and some small island developing states (SIDS).
If the
MDGs are to be achieved by 2015, not only must the level of financial
investment be increased but innovative programmes and policies aimed at overall
development and economic and social transformation must be rapidly scaled up
and replicated. The MDGs are achievable, but there is clearly an urgent to
address challenges, acknowledge failures and come together to overcome the
obstacles to their achievement. This will require the embrace of pioneering
ideas and political will on the part of governments and their development
partners.
How can
I contribute to the review process?
In
addition to engaging your own government at the national and local levels,
there will be a number of ways to input at the international level. Of
particular note are the aforementioned ‘Hearings of the General Assembly with
Civil Society’ that governments have called for and that will take place from
14-15 June 2010 in
A
primary goal of this website is to improve the linkages between the
international review process and civil society organizations around the globe.
Through this site, you will gain access not only to valuable information and
updates about the process as it develops, but space will be created for you to
have input into that process as well.
The
simple fact is that 189 world leaders made an historic promise at the United
Nations Millennium Summit in 2000 when they signed onto the Millennium
Declaration and agreed to meet the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. It’s
up to citizens to make sure leaders follow through on these commitments.
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