UN Secretary-General saying MDGs must be met but a lack of political will keep Millennium Promises unfulfilled, calls for MDG Summit

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We are now two-thirds the way to 2015, the supposed finish line to achieving the United Nations' Eight Goal Millennium Campaign, but our progress has been sorely lacking in many ways.

According to the United Nations Non-governmental Liaison Service and other sources, 2010 will be a critical year in determining which development pathways our world will pursue. In 2000, UN Member States agreed to the Millennium Declaration and committed themselves to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.

On 20-22 September 2010, the General Assembly will hold, in New York, a High-level Plenary Meeting, also referred to as the ‘MDG Summit’. The Summit’s main focus will be to build on what we have learned during the past 10 years since the adoption of the Millennium Declaration and how to accelerate progress towards the internationally agreed development goals, in particular MDGs. The Summit will take stock of the successes, best practices, lessons learned, obstacles and gaps related to the MDGs and other development goals.

Millennium Development Goals must be met, UN Secretary-General says

The Report provides basis for Government negotiations on action plan to 2015 deadline.

Read the Secretary-General's report, " Keeping the Promise", (and in his remarks calling for the adoption of a global action agenda for accelerating progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which serves as the basis for Member States' deliberations on an action-oriented outcome document for the Summit. It identifies successes and gaps, and lays out an agenda for 2010-2015. "Our world possesses the knowledge and resources to achieve the MDGs," Mr. Ban says in the report. Falling short of the Goals "would be an unacceptable failure, moral and practical."

The problem according to Secretary-General Ban has been a lack of political will:

Political Will the Missing Link for MDGs - IPS ipsnews.net:DEVELOPMENT

Ban addressed U.N. member states and media following the release of his report, "Keeping the Promise", on Mar. 16. The report "reviews successes, identifies obstacles, and suggests ways to accelerate progress," according to the secretary-general.

At a meeting of the General Assembly, he warned that, "We are off course because of unmet commitments, inadequate resources and a lack of focus and accountability."

"We do not need new pledges," Ban said later that day at a media briefing. "If nations deliver on the financial commitments they have already made, we can achieve the goals. There is clearly a lack of political will."

As a part of the process leading to the summit, the General Assembly will also convene ‘Hearings’ with representatives of civil society and the private sector from 14-15 June. The outcomes of these hearings will provide an input to the preparatory process for the Summit and be issued as an Assembly document.

A nomination process for speakers at the hearings has now been opened so that interested individuals can apply to actively participate at the event. The application deadline is 16 April 2010 for the June meeting. Click here for more information on the Hearings and the speaker selection process.

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