Stepping up progress towards Millennium Development Goals: Prime Minister calls for global effort
31 July 2007 (updated 29 August)
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for a renewed international effort to
achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Speaking today at the United Nations
headquarters in New York, he said the "pace has been too slow and uncertain" in
meeting the promises made by world leaders seven years ago, and that it was
vital that individuals and groups from all countries "come together to forge a
new global alliance for peace and prosperity."
A need for urgent action
Mr Brown talked about the "historic declaration" that was made and signed by
most of the world's countries in 2000:
"It was a remarkable moment - the whole world coming together
as one, the leadership of the poorest countries to be empowered by the
obligations accepted by the richest. All of us accepting our shared
responsibilities to work together for change."
However, the PM said "the goals the world set are not being met". He warned that
unless there was urgent action, they would not be met by 2015 and some would not
even be met this century. He continued:
"The calendar says we are half way from 2000 to 2015.
But the reality is that we are we are a million miles away from success."
While there has been some progress, such as an increase in the number of
children being immunised and in education, he said that more needed to be done
to save and improve lives.
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A global partnership to beat poverty
Mr Brown added that governments could not meet the challenge alone but
instead a "global partnership for development" was required to "harness the
energy, the ideas and the talents of the private sector, consumers, NGOs and
faith groups, and citizens everywhere."
He said that only by working together could the promises to ensure education
for all children, an end to world poverty, the protection of the environment,
safety and security for everyone and the eradication of disease be kept.
Today at the UN, 12 world leaders and 20 top businessmen
and women will sign up to a new commitment to meet this development emergency.
Mr Brown also called for an emergency meeting to be held next year to report on
progress against the goals.
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International Health Partnership
On August 22, Gordon Brown met German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss the
new UK-led International Health Partnership which will be launched on 5
September.
The two leaders said:
"We see this as a critical step in our call for an international
mobilisation of effort to achieve the MDGs that will build year on year
until 2015. Our efforts must bring together the private sector, NGOs, faith
groups, international agencies and governments in a new partnership to
reduce poverty, improve health and provide opportunities for the poor across
the world."
They added that MDGs focussing on healthcare were the "least likely to be
met" by 2015, and that an "improved approach" was needed.
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