Montenegro

Millennium Development Goals must be met, UN Secretary-General says ahead of September Summit

UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK, 16 March – With only five years left until the 2015 deadline to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is calling for the adoption of a global action agenda for accelerating progress towards the Goals, when world leaders meet at a UN Summit in New York in September.

“We must not fail the billions who look to the international community to fulfil the promise of the Millennium Declaration for a better world. Let us meet in September to keep the promise,” Mr. Ban says in his report, Keeping the Promise, issued today.

The report – which will serve as a basis for Government deliberations on an action-oriented outcome document for the 20-22 September Summit on the MDGs – identifies success factors and lessons learnt, highlights gaps, emerging challenges and opportunities, and lays out specific recommendations for action to boost progress towards the Goals over the remaining five years. Additional reports are expected, including the Statistical Appendix to the Secretary-General’s report, in April; the latest official statistics on progress towards meeting the Goals, in late June; and a more in-depth assessment of gaps in international cooperation, by early September.

“Our world possesses the knowledge and the resources to achieve the MDGs,” Mr. Ban says in the report, referring to the targets based on the 2000 Millennium Declaration, aimed at greatly reducing poverty, hunger, disease, maternal and child deaths and other ills by 2015.

Falling short of the Goals “would be an unacceptable failure, moral and practical,” the Secretary-General says. “If we fail, the dangers in the world – instability, violence, epidemic diseases, environmental degradation, runaway population growth – will all be multiplied.”

A mixed picture
A number of countries have achieved major successes in combating extreme poverty and hunger,
improving school enrolment and child health, expanding access to clean water, strengthening control of malaria, tuberculosis and neglected tropical diseases, and providing increased access to HIV treatment, the report points out. (See fact sheet Millennium Development Goals: At a Glance.)

These successes have taken place in some of the poorest countries, demonstrating that the MDGs are indeed achievable with the right policies, adequate levels of investment, and international support.

Yet progress has been uneven and – without additional efforts – several Goals are likely to be missed in many countries, according to the report. The challenges are most severe in the least developed countries, land-locked developing countries, some small island developing states, those vulnerable to natural hazards, and countries in or emerging from conflict.

The shortfalls in progress towards the MDGs are not because they are unreachable, or because the time is too short, the report states, but rather because of unmet commitments, inadequate resources and lack of focus and accountability. This has resulted in failure to deliver on the finance, services, technical support and partnerships needed. As a consequence of these shortfalls, improvements in the lives of the poor have been unacceptably slow, while some hard-won gains are being eroded by the food and economic crises.

Lessons learnt
Nearly ten years into the global effort to achieve the MDGs, the report identifies a number of key lessons learnt. Among them, the most important is the national ownership of development strategies. Successful countries pursued pragmatic policy mixes, with enhanced domestic capacities. International cooperation should more strongly support such national development strategies and domestic capacity-building efforts.

While economic growth is necessary, it is not sufficient for progress. The growth process must be inclusive and equitable to maximize poverty reduction and progress on other MDGs.

Hard-earned gains can be reversed due to economic and other shocks. Hence, countries need forwardlooking macroeconomic policies to support broad-based stable growth, e.g. by sustaining public investment strategies and universal social protection, for achievement of the MDGs.

Adequate, consistent and predictable financial support, as well as a coherent and predictable policy environment, both at national and international levels, are crucial for achievement of the MDGs. Lack of adequate and predictable international financing has been an important constraint. There is an urgent need to broaden and strengthen partnerships to ensure supportive international frameworks for debt relief, trade, taxation, technology and climate change mitigation and adaptation to sustain long-term human progress.

Commitments need to be kept
While financing the MDGs needs to start at home, with developing countries raising and allocating domestic revenues, according to the report, the donor community must deliver on its long-standing promises of greatly expanded official development assistance (ODA). Although ODA reached its highest level ever in 2008, large gaps in meeting commitments remain.

The ODA commitment at the 2005 Gleneagles G8 Summit is approximately $154 billion in current value; additional flows of $35 billion a year will need to be delivered by 2010 to achieve this target. Africa will need an extra $20 billion of the increase in ODA in 2010 to reach its Gleneagles target of $63 billion by 2010. “If these promises are not met, the poor will suffer and, indeed, die in large numbers,” the report states.

The report notes several promising Government proposals to ensure adequate financing for the
MDGs, including new financing to build better health systems and the G8 2009 L’Aquila Food Security Initiative. These opportunities must be acted on quickly to ensure that longstanding commitments are kept by the time of the G8 and G20 Summits in Canada in June 2010.

At the same time, innovative financing schemes should be further developed, according to the
Secretary-General’s report. The MDG Summit in September should also endorse an accountability framework that consolidates global aid commitments, links them to results with timelines, and establishes monitoring and enforcement mechanisms.

Calling for a new “pact”, not just among governments, but among all stakeholders, Mr. Ban urges developed and developing countries, civil society actors, private businesses, philanthropy and the multilateral system to each focus on the best use of their assets, acting “efficiently, effectively and collectively.” The September Summit – officially a “high-level plenary meeting” of the UN General Assembly – provides a unique opportunity to strengthen such collective efforts and partnerships for the push to 2015.

“Coming together in September with a renewed commitment to build on our achievements so far and to bridge the gaps identified, we can deliver on our shared responsibility to build a better world for generations to come,” the Secretary-General says. “Achievement of the Millennium Development Goals remains feasible with adequate commitment, policies, resources and effort.”

The Secretary-General’s report is available online at www.un.org/millenniumgoals

UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals

World leaders to gather in New York 20–22 September 2010 to boost progress against poverty

“We must not fail the billions who look to the international community to fulfill the promise of
the Millennium Declaration for a better world. Let us meet in September to keep the promise.”

– UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

What
With only five years left until the 2015 target date to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Summit – officially called a High-Level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly – will bring together world leaders to review progress, identify gaps, and commit to a concrete action agenda to achieve the MDGs and internationally agreed development goals. Leaders from civil society, foundations and business are also expected to announce new initiatives to accelerate progress. In addition to statements by world leaders and round tables on key issues, a number of high-profile side events are expected to focus on specific initiatives.

Why
A decade ago, at the Millennium Summit in September 2000, the world joined together in a fifteen-year effort to combat poverty, hunger and disease. Although a number of countries have achieved major successes in reducing poverty, improving school enrolment and child health, expanding access to clean water, and fighting malaria, TB and AIDS, progress has been uneven, and – without additional efforts – several of the Goals are likely to be missed in many countries.

Who
Heads of State and Government, joined by leaders from citizen activist groups, foundations and the private sector. Opening statements expected by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, General Assembly Presidents Ali Abdussalam Treki (Libya, President of the 64th session) and Joseph Deiss (Switzerland, slated to be President of the 65th session).

When
20 – 22 September 2010, just before the annual high-level debate of the UN General Assembly

Where
United Nations Headquarters, New York

Timeline

Selected reports and events of media interest:

4 MARCH The General Assembly President kicks off Government consultations in preparation for the MDG Summit, with the Permanent Representatives of Denmark and Senegal as co-facilitators of the deliberations on an action-oriented outcome for the Summit.

16 MARCH The Secretary-General presents his comprehensive Summit report, Keeping the Promise*, to Governments and media, identifying MDG successes and gaps, lessons learnt and recommendations for action. (The Statistical Annex to the Secretary-General’s Summit report* will be available in April.)

APRIL Release of the World Development Indicators and Global Monitoring Report by the World Bank, focusing on progress and policy recommendations for the MDGs, in connection with the Bank’s meetings in Washington, DC.

APRIL – JUNE Some 30 MDG country reports will be issued, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). In June a synthesis report will analyze lessons learnt.

7-9 JUNE Women Deliver international conference to focus on maternal and reproductive health, the Goal on which progress has been weakest (Washington, DC). At the same time, Countdown to 2015 – a multi-partner initiative involving WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, the World Bank and others – will launch a report tracking progress on child and maternal health (MDGs 4 and 5).

14-15 JUNE The General Assembly will hold two-day informal interactive hearings with NGOs, civil society and the private sector as part of the preparatory process for the MDG Summit.

LATE JUNE The Millennium Development Goals Report 2010* will provide the latest progress data, based on statistics from more than 20 UN and international agencies, on each Goal, globally and by region.

In addition, an international assessment of what is needed to reach the MDGs will be prepared by UNDP for the G8 Summit, and a country-by-country scorecard of MGD achievement will be issued by the Millennium Campaign and Overseas Development Institute.

24-25 JUNE The UN Global Compact Leaders Summit will bring together business executives in New York to assess how the private sector can contribute to achieving the Goals.

28 JUNE – 2 JULY Government ministers will gather at the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to examine how to move forward on gender equality and empowering women (Goal 3) and to assess how to improve development cooperation and aid.

MID-SEPTEMBER The report of the MDG Gap Task Force* will present data and recommendations on how to meet international commitments on aid, trade, debt relief, and other elements of the development partnership called for in the eighth Millennium Development Goal.
UNICEF will launch its annual Progress for Children report, with a focus on the MDGs.

17-19 SEPTEMBER Broad civil society mobilization, including through the Stand Up and Take Action against
Poverty initiative.

* Indicates the official reports for the High-level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on the MDGs

 

Media Contacts: For a list of UN System communications officials, an extensive calendar, and more information, please see the website at www.un.org/millenniumgoals.

UN Department of Public Information:
Martina Donlon, +1 212 963 6816, donlon@un.org
Pragati Pascale, +1 212 963 6870, pascale@un.org
Lyndon Haviland, +1 860 575 7691, haviland@un.org

Millennium Development Goals: At a Glance