UNITED NATIONS (AP)— At the dawn of the new millennium, world leaders pledged to tackle poverty, disease, ignorance and inequality — and went beyond generalities to commit themselves to specific goals. Progress has been made over the past decade, but many countries are still struggling to meet the 2015 target.
On Monday, another summit will open in New York to review what has, and hasn't, been done.

"These Millennium Development Goals are a promise of world leaders," says Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who invited leaders of the 192 U.N. member nations to the three-day summit. "They're a blueprint to help those most vulnerable and poorest people, to lift them out of poverty. This promise must be met," he said in an interview with The Associated Press.

But recent reports show that the world's poorest countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, have made little headway in eradicating poverty. 

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Exctracts from the Draft Resolution:

"We, Heads of State and Government, gathered at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 20 to 22 September 2010, welcome the progress made since we last met here in 2005 while expressing deep concern that it falls far short of what is needed. Recalling the development goals and commitments emanating from the Millennium Declaration1 and the 2005 World Summit Outcome,2 we reaffirm our resolve to work together for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples.


5. We recognize that progress, including on poverty eradication, is being made despite setbacks, including setbacks caused by the financial and economic crisis. In this context, we recognize the deeply inspiring examples of progress made by countries in all regions of the world through cooperation, partnerships, actions and solidarity. We are deeply concerned, however, that the number of people living in extreme poverty and hunger surpasses 1 billion and that inequalities between and within countries remains a significant challenge. We are also deeply concerned about the alarming global levels of maternal and child mortality. We believe that eradication of poverty and hunger, as well as combating inequality at all levels, is essential to create a more prosperous and sustainable future for all.


16. We acknowledge the diversity of the world and recognize that all cultures and civilizations contribute to the enrichment of humankind. We emphasize the importance of culture for development and its contribution to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

23. We take note of the lessons learned and successful policies and approaches in the implementation and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and recognize that with increased political commitment these could be replicated and scaled up for accelerating progress, including by:

(a) Strengthening national ownership and leadership of development strategies;
(b) Adopting forward-looking, macroeconomic policies that promote sustainable development and lead to sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth, increase productive employment opportunities and promote agricultural and industrial development;
(c) Promoting national food security strategies that strengthen support for smallholder farmers and contribute to poverty eradication;
(d) Adopting policies and measures oriented towards benefiting the poor and addressing social and economic inequalities;
(e) Supporting participatory, community-led strategies aligned with national development priorities and strategies;
(f) Promoting universal access to public and social services and providing social protection floors;
(g) Improving capacity to deliver quality services equitably;
(h) Implementing social policies and programmes, including appropriate conditional cash-transfer programmes, and investing in basic services for health, education, water and sanitation;
(i) Ensuring the full participation of all segments of society, including the poor and disadvantaged, in decision-making processes;
(j) Respecting, promoting and protecting all human rights, including the right to development;
(k) Increasing efforts to reduce inequality and eliminate social exclusion and discrimination;
(l) Enhancing opportunities for women and girls and advancing the economic, legal and political empowerment of women;
(m) Investing in the health of women and children to drastically reduce the number of women and children who die from preventable causes;
(n) Working towards transparent and accountable systems of governance at the national and international levels;
(o) Working towards greater transparency and accountability in international development cooperation, in both donor and developing countries, focusing on adequate and predictable financial resources as well as their improved quality and targeting;

(r) Expanding access to financial services for the poor, especially poor women, including through adequately funded microfinance plans, programmes and initiatives supported by development partners;
(s) Strengthening statistical capacity to produce reliable disaggregated data for better programmes and policy evaluation and formulation.


28. We also recognize that policies and actions must focus on the poor and those living in the most vulnerable situations, including persons with disabilities, so that they benefit from progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
In this respect there is a particular need to provide more equitable access to economic opportunities and social services.

36. We resolve to promote and strengthen national ownership and leadership of development as a key determinant of progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, with each country taking the primary responsibility for its own development.

37. We recognize that the increasing interdependence of national economies in a globalizing world and the emergence of rules-based regimes for international economic relations have meant that the space for national economic policy, that is, the scope for domestic policies, especially in the areas of trade, investment and international development, is now often framed by international disciplines, commitments and global market considerations. It is for each Government to evaluate the trade-off between the benefits of accepting international rules and commitments and the constraints posed by the loss of policy space.

42. We reiterate the important role of trade as an engine of growth and development and its contribution to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals. We emphasize the need to resist protectionist tendencies and to rectify any trade distorting measures already taken that are inconsistent with World Trade Organization rules, recognizing the right of countries, in particular developing countries, to fully utilize their flexibilities consistent with their World Trade Organization commitments and obligations. The early and successful conclusion of the Doha Round with a balanced, ambitious, comprehensive and developmentoriented outcome would provide much needed impetus to international trade and contribute to economic growth and development.

Millennium Development Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty

and hunger

70. We commit ourselves to accelerating progress in order to achieve Millennium Development Goal 1, including through:

(a) Addressing the root causes of extreme poverty and hunger (i.e., Capitalism???? the editor), while noting that the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger has a direct impact on the achievement of all the other Millennium Development Goals;

(u) Reaffirming the right of everyone to have access to safe, sufficient and nutritious food, consistent with the right to adequate food and the fundamental right of everyone to be free from hunger, so as to be able to fully develop and maintain his or her physical and mental capacities;

(v) Making special efforts to meet the nutritional needs of women, children, older persons and persons with disabilities, as well as those living in vulnerable situations, through targeted and effective programming;

Millennium Development Goal 2

Achieve universal primary education

71. We commit ourselves to accelerating progress in achieving Millennium Development Goal 2, including through:

(a) Realizing the right of everyone to education and re-emphasizing that education shall be directed at the full development of the human personality and the sense of its dignity and shall strengthen respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms;

Millennium Development Goal 3

Promoting gender equality and empowerment of women

(c) Empowering women, in particular women living in poverty, through, inter alia, social and economic policies that guarantee them full and equal access to all levels of quality education and training and vocational training, including technical, managerial and entrepreneurial training, and to affordable and adequate public and social services;

Millennium Development Goal 4

Reduce child mortality

74. We commit ourselves to accelerating progress in order to achieve Millennium Development Goal 4, including through:

(a) Scaling up efforts to achieve integrated management of childhood illnesses, particularly actions to address and prevent the main causes of child mortality, including newborn and infant mortality, these being, inter alia, pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria and malnutrition, which can be achieved by developing, implementing and evaluating appropriate national strategies, policies and programmes for child survival, preventive pre-natal, para-natal and post-natal measures, vaccinations and immunization and by working to ensure that medicines, medical products and technologies are affordable and available. In addition, this can be achieved by improved nutrition, including nutrition prior to birth, as well as by strengthening specific health interventions, including emergency obstetric care and skilled attendance at birth to reduce maternal and child mortality. International support to national efforts, including financial resources, will continue to be key in this regard;

(b) Sustaining and scaling up successful prevention and vaccination programmes as one of the most efficient ways to reduce child mortality, including the measles, polio, tuberculosis and tetanus campaigns, by ensuring sufficient funding, political commitment and conscientious implementation of control activities, especially in priority countries;

Millennium Development Goal 5

Improve maternal health

75. We commit ourselves to accelerating progress in order to achieve Millennium Development Goal 5, including through:

(a) Taking steps to realize the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, including sexual and  reproductive health;
(b) Addressing reproductive, maternal and child health, including newborn health, in a comprehensive manner, inter alia, through the provision of family planning, prenatal care, skilled attendance at birth, emergency obstetric and newborn care and methods for the prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases and infections, such as HIV, within strengthened health systems that
provide accessible and affordable integrated health-care services and include community-based preventive and clinical care;

Millennium Development Goal 6

Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

76. We commit ourselves to accelerating progress in order to achieve Millennium Development Goal 6, including through:
(a) Redoubling efforts to achieve universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support services as an essential step in achieving Millennium Development Goal 6 and as a contribution to reaching the other Millennium Development Goals;

Millennium Development Goal 7

Ensure environmental sustainability

77. We commit ourselves to accelerating progress in order to achieve Millennium Development Goal 7, including through:

(a) Pursuing sustainable development in accordance with the principles contained in the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development,21 including the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, and taking into account the respective capabilities of countrie..

(n) Promoting sustainable consumption and production patterns, in accordance with the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (“Johannesburg Plan of Implementation”)

Millennium Development Goal 8

Develop a Global Partnership for Development

(l) Emphasizing the critical importance of rejecting protectionism and not turning inward in times of financial uncertainty, mindful of the importance of trade for economic growth and development and for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015;

(m) Implementing duty-free and quota-free market access for all least developed countries in conformity with the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration adopted by the World Trade Organization in 2005;26

(o) Strengthening regional integration and trade as it is crucial for significant development benefits, growth and jobs and for generating resources to sustain progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals;

(p) Fulfilling, in the Doha Development Agenda, the 2005 pledge of members of the World Trade Organization to ensure the parallel elimination in agriculture of all forms of export subsidies and disciplines on all export measures with equivalent effect to be completed by the end of 2013;

(r) Considering enhanced approaches to sovereign debt restructuring mechanisms based on existing frameworks and principles, the broad participation of  creditors and debtors, the comparable treatment of all creditors and an important role for the Bretton Woods institutions, and in this regard welcoming and calling upon all countries to contribute to the ongoing discussion in the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank and other forums on the need for, and feasibility of, a more structured framework for international cooperation in this area;

(t) Reaffirming the right to use, to the full, the provisions contained in the World Trade Organization Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement),27 the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health,28 the decision of the World Trade Organization’s General Council of 30 August 2003 on the implementation of paragraph 6 of the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health,29 and, when formal acceptance procedures are completed, the amendments to article 31 of the Agreement,30 which provide flexibilities for the protection of public health and, in particular, to promote access to medicines for all and to encourage the provision of assistance to developing countries in this regard. We also call for a broad and timely acceptance of the amendment to article 31 of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, as proposed by the World Trade Organization’s General Council in its decision of 6 December 2005;3 outcomes of the major summits on sustainable development and addressing new and emerging challenges

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