A/65/PV.9 General Assembly

World leaders at the United Nations Millennium Summit made a solemn commitment to make the right to development a reality for everyone and free the entire human race from hunger and poverty. The progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) over the past decade has been uneven in different regions and fields. Many countries have yet to make visible headway in improving the health of women and children, achieving gender equality and protecting the environment. A considerable number of developing countries have been hit hard by the global financial crisis, natural disasters and volatilities in the food and energy markets. And the global population living in hunger has increased. Achieving the MDGs therefore remains a long and uphill journey. China, an active and sustained supporter of the United Nations initiative, has made tireless efforts to reach the MDGs. Since 1978, the number of Chinese living in absolute poverty has been reduced by over 200 million, accounting for 75 per cent of the total population lifted out of poverty in developing countries. At the same time, we are keenly aware that China is a country with a large population and a weak economic foundation. We are confronted with the problem of imbalances in development and we have tens of millions of people living in poverty. We will further step up poverty alleviation through development and we are confident that the MDGs will be achieved as scheduled in China. Over the years, the Chinese Government has provided sincere and selfless assistance in multiple forms to other developing countries to the best of the country’s ability. We will further strengthen and improve foreign assistance and contribute our due share to the early achievement of the MDGs throughout the world. First, let me address the issue of helping to improve the livelihood of people in developing countries. In the coming five years, China will take the following steps in support of better livelihoods for people in other developing countries: we will build 200 schools, dispatch 3,000 medical experts, train 5,000 local medical personnel and provide medical equipment and medicine to 100 hospitals, build 200 clean energy and environmental protection projects, and increase assistance to small island developing States in disaster prevention and mitigation to help build up their capacity in countering climate change. Here, I would like to announce that China will, within the next three years, donate US$14 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Secondly, with regard to reducing and cancelling the debts of the least developed countries (LDCs), by the end of 2009, the Chinese Government had cancelled debts worth 25.6 billion RMB yuan owed by 50 heavily indebted poor countries and least developed countries. We will cancel their debts associated with the outstanding governmental interest-free loans that mature in 2010. Thirdly, with regard to deepening financial cooperation with developing countries, China has provided $10 billion in concessional loans to African countries and $15 billion of credit support to some Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries to help them counter the international financial crisis. We have committed to contributing US$50 billion to the International Monetary Fund resources increase with an explicit request that the funds be used, first and foremost, to help LDCs. China will continue to extend a certain scale of financing support to developing countries in the form of concessional loans and preferential export buyer’s credit. Fourthly, with regard to broadening economic and trade ties with developing countries, China has made a commitment to phase in zero-tariff treatment to products listed under 95 per cent of all tariff items from relevant LDCs. Since July 2010, we have given zero-tariff treatment to the exports from 33 LDCs under more than 4,700 tariff items, covering the vast majority of the products from these countries. In the future, we will give zero-tariff treatment to more products and let more countries benefit from this arrangement. We will continue to encourage Chinese companies to expand investment in developing countries. Fifthly, with regard to strengthening agricultural cooperation with developing countries, in the next five years, China will dispatch 3,000 agricultural experts and technical staff, provide 5,000 agriculture-related training opportunities in China and enhance, on a priority basis, cooperation with other developing countries in agricultural planning, hybrid rice, aquaculture, farmland water conservancy and agricultural machinery. Sixthly, with regard to helping developing countries develop human resources, in the next five years, China will train another 80,000 professionals in various fields for developing countries. We will increase the number of scholarships and mid-career Master’s degree programmes for people from developing countries and provide training opportunities in China to 3,000 school principals and teachers. Since July this year, in order to support Pakistan’s efforts in fighting floods and rebuilding the country, China has decided to provide it with 320 million RMB yuan of humanitarian assistance and has sent a relief team to the disaster-stricken areas. I wish to take this opportunity to announce that China will, on top of its pledged assistance, provide an additional $200 million to assist Pakistan. The next five years will be crucial to achieving the MDGs. The international community must, with a greater sense of urgency and responsibility, take decisive steps in the following areas to achieve common progress. In identifying work priorities, the international community should give high priority to helping Africa to eliminate poverty and achieve development and to increasing support to the least developed countries. Developing countries should consider poverty eradication through development a central task and continue to strengthen national development capacities. Developed countries must honour their commitments in good faith, raise the official development assistance share of their gross national income to 0.7 per cent at an early date, and provide long-term, stable and predictable financial assistance to developing countries. Assistance should be selfless and have no strings attached. To improve implementation mechanisms, the United Nations should continue to play a central role in international development cooperation. It is important to establish an MDG assessment mechanism at an early date and to strengthen international cooperation and coordination. In order to establish sustainable peace, all countries and nations should relinquish past grievances, resolve disputes by peaceful means, and create conditions for peaceful development. The adoption of the Millennium Declaration (resolution 55/2) brought light to people suffering from poverty around the world. Let us work more diligently and strengthen cooperation in order to attain the Millennium Development Goals on schedule and to support the development and progress of all humankind. The Co-Chair (Mr. Treki) (spoke in Arabic): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Denmark.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are critical to our global effort to meet the challenges posed by poverty, disease and conflict. Since their adoption 10 years ago, the world has undergone significant changes, yet the Goals are as important as ever. Despite the emergence of a new global landscape, they remain a common reference point for our joint effort to create a better tomorrow for the poorest and most vulnerable. At this High-level Plenary Meeting, we have reaffirmed our resolve to meet and achieve the MDGs by 2015. This is a strong message following a period of global crisis that has affected all of us. We have learned that business as usual is no longer good enough. And this lesson is just as relevant when it comes to the fulfilment of the Millennium Development Goals. Luckily, we now know what works and what does not work. Therefore, we must all focus on implementation during the remaining five years. The private sector is instrumental to creating sustainable economic growth and employment. Without private sector-driven growth, we will not be successful in eradicating poverty or mobilizing the necessary domestic resources for education, health and other social services. We must ensure that the benefits of growth reach the poor and that they generate freedom and opportunities for individuals to change their lives. This is particularly important in Africa. In 2008, Denmark established the Africa Commission with the participation of African leaders and key stakeholders. The Commission underlined the importance of growth and employment, particularly for young people, who represent a huge untapped resource. Based on the work of the Commission, Denmark is doubling its support for private sector development in Africa. To move this agenda forward, I was honoured to co-sponsor an event on inclusive growth and employment in Africa this morning with the President of Liberia and the Prime Minister of Tanzania. Our geographic and economic points of departure may be different, but we see eye to eye on the importance of inclusive economic growth that generates employment. The international community must also acknowledge that conflict is a barrier to development. In many areas affected by conflict, achieving long-term development and economic growth remains a distant goal, full of barriers and risks of setback. We are sending a clear message at this summit – women are agents of development. Equality and equal opportunities for women are a vital engine for economic and social development. There is no chance whatsoever of achieving the MDGs without a strengthened focus on women’s empowerment. If women are to make use of their full potential, they must be able to decide freely if and when they want children, and they must have access to health services when giving birth. Denmark supports developing countries in their realization of women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights. Mr. Deiss, Co-Chair, took the Chair. Developing countries must take responsibility for their own development. I am pleased that many developing countries have turned the MDGs into national targets. At the same time, donor countries must live up to their commitments. Denmark is one of only five countries in the world that exceeds the target of 0.7 per cent of their gross national income for official development assistance. We will continue to work to ensure that our aid achieves results and makes a difference. This requires focus and a willingness to prioritize our development cooperation. Our global partnership is constantly evolving. New actors are emerging. We are seeing increased South-South cooperation and increased public-private collaboration. And we have witnessed how private foundations have shown the way on important development issues. We must ensure that all of these efforts are directed towards the same goal — the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. We have gained valuable experience over the past 10 years. The challenge has been clearly defined. We now have five years left. We have to do it right and we have to start today. Denmark stands ready to do its part. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Alik L. Alik, Vice President of the Federated States of Micronesia

I am deeply honoured to share with the Assembly today the experience of my country in pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This is a story of achievements as well as challenges for my country, the Federated States of Micronesia. During the 2000 Millennium Summit, we committed ourselves to establishing a new global partnership to reduce extreme poverty and hunger, to improve the quality of education and health, to pursue gender equality and to promote environmental integrity and sustainability, among other tasks. Five years later, that commitment to the MDGs was reaffirmed. The MDGs have become the framework document guiding concrete measures undertaken by countries in different parts of the globe. The ambitious expectation is that by 2015 millions of people will rise out of hunger and extreme poverty and have access to better educational opportunities, safe water, sanitation and health care and treatment. While achievements have been made in various sectors, the recent global financial and economic crises have imposed enormous impediments to meeting the targets and indicators. I am happy to report that the alarming population growth rate of my country was reduced during the 1990s by almost 50 per cent and is now maintained at 3.28 per cent annually. But we cannot take full satisfaction in this one index alone. We know only too well that we need to do better in terms of per capita income generation and human development. Employment and income are at the very heart of poverty reduction. The creation of job opportunities will require policy reforms. The establishment of a regulatory environment conducive to trade and private sector development is also important. Our policy is to streamline the size of Government; in so doing, we are taking care to ensure that essential services are not adversely impacted in a wholesale manner. While we are grateful to our development partners and friends for their support and cooperation over the years, we realize that we must face reality and chart our own course. With our economy overwhelmingly dominated by a large public sector, a major part of the challenge to our efforts to meet the MDGs is the reduction in our resources of traditional bilateral assistance. In this respect, I underscore the importance of the international community honouring its commitment to provide 0.7 per cent of gross national income for official development assistance. Micronesia has a special partnership agreement with the United States that is enshrined in a treaty called the Compact of Free Association. The treaty includes an economic package upon which we pin high hopes to stimulate our efforts towards the attainment of the MDGs through improvement in the health and education sectors. Despite our best efforts, economic activity in Micronesia since the amended Compact went into effect in 2004 has been unsteady and sporadic. For example, real gross domestic product (GDP) recovered from a decline of 3.4 per cent in previous years to a positive 1.6 per cent growth between 2004 and 2005. That brief positive growth was again followed by a decline in the ensuing years until 2009, when GDP slightly recovered with a 0.4 per cent growth. That modest growth in GDP is further offset by three observable trends: sluggishness in real per capita income, reduction in employment and increase in out- migration. Applying the definition or criteria of the MDGs, it is estimated that 30 per cent of our population live below the national poverty line. It seems unlikely that my country will halve this proportion by 2015. I am pleased to note that, consistent with our strategic development plan, addressing poverty through job creation remains part of our long-term national objective. In addition, a poverty alleviation strategy would be needed in order to reverse the ongoing process of out-migration and the potential adverse impact of the expansion of the informal economic sector. In education, I am pleased to report that we are achieving high enrolment rates at the primary school level. Gross and net enrolment is over 90 per cent. The near parity between girls and boys in elementary schools and the higher levels of enrolment of girls in high schools are important achievements in my country. The literacy rate for persons 15 to 24 years old is over 90 per cent, and is slightly higher for females than for males. My Government is committed to placing high priority on further improving the quality of education in the coming years. It is for this reason, among others, that we need to direct significant attention to the remaining 5 per cent of our children who are still outside our education system. I believe that the increased access to education has helped to considerably narrow the gender gap. However, more efforts are needed to increase the participation of women in the labour force. Improvements in women’s health are a priority, including better access to reproductive health care and reducing the prevalence of non-communicable diseases, notably in our outer islands. I believe that the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women has certainly helped to raise the profile of women in our island communities. We have taken other initiatives to address issues relating to women’s political representation, maternity leave and domestic violence. Legislation creating a national commission on the status of women was also recently introduced in our national congress. The challenges to achieving the MDGs in the health sector are in the areas of child mortality and improving maternal health. It is urgent to address both areas effectively. In my country, reducing child mortality has been a long-standing priority, and we are on track to achieve MDG 4. That effort will be further bolstered with targeted interventions in the primary health care system and in communities. It is necessary to increase the number of pregnant women who receive adequate prenatal care and to reduce post-neonatal deaths by improving living conditions. The Federated States of Micronesia is also on track to achieve the maternal mortality rate target. However, more attention needs to be given to universal access to reproductive health services, especially in areas where the population is widely dispersed. The prevention of HIV/AIDS is a national priority, and a national strategic plan to address the issue has been prepared. Programmes operate at both the national and the state levels, and focus has been given to prevention, community-based planning and care for persons living with HIV/AIDS. We have also focused on reducing the number of cases of tuberculosis, diabetes, heart disease and cancer. A comprehensive and coordinated non-communicable disease programme is ongoing. More awareness is necessary to reduce behavioural risk factors, such as tobacco use, alcohol abuse and lack of physical activity. I have highlighted our achievements and challenges, but there is a far larger challenge that would render all our achievements irrelevant. We cannot meaningfully talk about the MDGs unless the international community addresses the real danger that Micronesia and other small island developing States will disappear because of the adverse impacts of climate change. In short, we are the least responsible but most vulnerable. The Co-Chair (Mr. Treki) (spoke in Arabic): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

It is an honour for me to address the General Assembly today for the first time as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. It is a privilege to be here to discuss how, together, we can reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and make the necessary commitments towards eradicating the problems that blight the world we share: poverty, hunger, disease and the degradation of our natural environment. This week, we are reviewing the progress, assessing the obstacles and agreeing a framework for action to meet our targets. Those are the technocratic terms in which Governments must necessarily trade, but let us be clear. Behind the officialese of summits lies our single, common purpose to uphold the dignity and security that is the right of every person in every part of the world. In the end, development is about freedom. It is about freedom from hunger and disease; freedom from ignorance; and freedom from poverty. Development means ensuring that every person has the freedom to take their own life into their own hands and determine their own fate. The past decade has seen some important progress. That progress has, however, been uneven and, on a number of our Goals, we remain significantly off track. So, my message today from the United Kingdom Government is that we will keep our promises and we expect the rest of the international community to do the same. For our part, the new coalition Government has committed to reaching 0.7 per cent of gross national income devoted to aid from 2013 — a pledge that we will enshrine in law. That aid will be targeted in ways that we know will make the biggest difference. I am pleased to announce today that the United Kingdom will be stepping up our efforts to combat malaria. In Africa, a child dies from that easily preventable disease every 45 seconds. So we will make more money available and ensure that we get more for our money, with the aim of halving malaria-related deaths in 10 of the worst affected countries. The United Kingdom Government is also proud to be boosting our contribution to the international drive on maternal and infant health, spearheaded by the Secretary-General. Our new commitments will save the lives of 50,000 mothers and a quarter of a million babies by 2015. The United Kingdom makes such commitments at a time of significant difficulty in our domestic economy. The new Government has inherited a £156- billion budget deficit, so increasing our international aid budget is not an uncontroversial decision. Some critics have questioned that decision, asking why, at a time when people at home are making sacrifices in their pay and their pensions, we are increasing aid for people in other countries. But we make that choice because we recognize that the promises that the United Kingdom has made must hold in the bad times as well as the good, and that they are even more important now than they were before; because we understand that, while we are experiencing hardship on our shores, it does not compare to the abject pain and destitution of others; because we take seriously the fact that the new coalition Government is the last Government able to deliver on our country’s promises in time for the 2015 MDG deadline; and because we know that doing so is in our own, enlightened self-interest. When the world is more prosperous, the United Kingdom will be more prosperous. Growth in the developing world means new partners with which to trade and new sources of global growth. Equally, when the world is less secure, the United Kingdom is less secure within it. Climate change does not somehow stop at our borders. When pandemics occur, we are not immune. And when poverty and poor education fuel the growth of global terrorism, our society bears the scars too. Twenty-two of the 34 countries furthest from reaching the MDGs are in the midst of or emerging from violent conflict. These are fragile spaces, such as Afghanistan, where hate can proliferate and terrorist attacks can be planned, where organized criminals can harvest the drugs that ravage our streets, and where families are persecuted, displaced and pushed to seek refuge with us. So we do not see the Millennium Development Goals just as optimistic targets for faraway lands. They are not simply charity, nor are they pure altruism. They are also the key to lasting safety and future prosperity for the people of the United Kingdom and, of course, for people right across the globe. We welcome the General Assembly’s agreement to annually review the progress made against the commitments agreed at this summit. The United Kingdom will stand up to that test, and today I call on others to show equal resolve. The Millennium Development Goals must be a priority for each and every nation represented in this Hall. Developed nations must honour their commitments, and developing nations must understand that they will not receive a blank cheque. Developing countries and donors must work together as equal partners towards securing our common interest. They will be expected to administer aid in ways that are accountable, transparent and responsible, creating the conditions for economic growth and job creation; prioritizing national budgets on health, infrastructure, education and basic services; managing natural resources, particularly biodiversity, in an environmentally sustainable way; and improving the lives of women and girls — empowering them, educating them, and ensuring healthy mothers can raise strong children. There can be no doubt that women and girls hold the key to greater prosperity for their families, their communities and their nations, too. If we each step up, we can meet the Millennium Development Goals. We can liberate millions of people from daily suffering, and give them the resources to take control of their lives and their destinies. May future generations look back and say that they inherited a better world because, at this critical moment, at this difficult moment, we did not shrink from our responsibilities. Let them say that we rose to the challenge and that we kept our promise. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Barack Obama, President of the United States of America. President Obama: In the Charter of this United Nations, our countries pledged to work for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples. In the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we recognized the inherent dignity and rights of every individual, including the right to a decent standard of living. And a decade ago, at the dawn of a new millennium, we set concrete goals to free our fellow men, women and children from the injustice of extreme poverty. Those are the standards that we set, and today we must ask: Are we living up to our mutual responsibilities? With our economies struggling, so many people out of work and so many families barely getting by, I suspect that some in wealthier countries may ask, “Why a summit on development”? The answer is simple. In our global economy, progress in even the poorest countries can advance the prosperity and security of people far beyond their borders, including my fellow Americans. When a child dies from a preventable disease, it shocks all of our consciences. When a girl is deprived of an education or her mother is denied equal rights, it undermines the prosperity of their nation. When a young entrepreneur cannot start a new business, it stymies the creation of new jobs and markets not only in that entrepreneur’s country, but also in our own. When millions of fathers cannot provide for their families, it feeds the despair that can fuel instability and violent extremism. When a disease goes unchecked, it can endanger the health of millions around the world. So let us put to rest the old myth that development is mere charity that does not serve our interests. Let us reject the cynicism that says certain countries are condemned to perpetual poverty, for the past half-century has witnessed more gains in human development than at any time in history. A disease that had ravaged generations, smallpox, was eradicated. Health care has reached the far corners of the world, saving the lives of millions. From Latin America to Africa and Asia, developing nations have transformed into leaders in the global economy. Nor can anyone deny the progress that has been made towards achieving certain Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The doors of education have been opened to tens of millions of children — boys and girls. New cases of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis are down. Access to clean drinking water is up. Around the world, hundreds of millions of people have been lifted out of extreme poverty. That is all for the good, and it is a testimony to the extraordinary work that has been done both within countries and by the international community. Yet we must also face the fact that progress towards other Goals that were set has not come nearly fast enough for the hundreds of thousands of women who lose their lives every year simply giving birth; for the millions of children who die from the agony of malnutrition; and for the nearly 1 billion people who endure the misery of chronic hunger. That is the reality that we must face. If the international community just keeps doing the same things the same way, we may make some modest progress here and there but we will miss many Development Goals. That is the truth. With 10 years down and just five years before our development targets are due, we must do better. Now, I know that helping communities and countries realize a better future is not easy. I have seen it in my own life. I saw it in my mother as she worked to lift up the rural poor from Indonesia to Pakistan. I saw it on the streets of Chicago, where I worked as a community organizer trying to build up underdeveloped neighbourhoods in this country. It is hard work, but I know progress is possible. As President, I have made it clear that the United States will do our part. My National Security Strategy recognizes development not only as a moral imperative, but as a strategic and economic imperative. Secretary of State Clinton is leading a review to strengthen and better coordinate our diplomacy and our development efforts. We have re-engaged with multilateral development institutions, and we are rebuilding the United States Agency for International Development as the world’s premier development agency. In short, we are making sure that the United States will be a global leader in international development in the twenty-first century. However, we also recognize that the old ways will not suffice. That is why, in Ghana last year, I called for a new approach to development that unleashes transformational change and allows more people to take control of their own destiny. After all, no country wants to be dependent on another. No proud leader in this Hall wants to ask for aid. No family wants to be beholden to the assistance of others. To pursue that vision, my Administration conducted a comprehensive review of America’s development programmes. We listened to leaders in Government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society, the private sector, philanthropy, Congress and our many international partners. And today, I am announcing our new United States Global Development Policy — the first of its kind by an American Administration. It is rooted in America’s enduring commitment to the dignity and potential of every human being, and it outlines our new approach and the new thinking that will guide our overall development efforts, including the plan that I promised last year and that my Administration has delivered to pursue the Millennium Development Goals. Put simply, the United States is changing the way we do business. First, we are changing how we define development. For too long, we have measured our efforts by the dollars that we spent and the food and medicines that we delivered. But aid alone is not development. Development is helping nations to actually develop — moving from poverty to prosperity. And we need more than just aid to unleash that change. We need to harness all the tools at our disposal — from our diplomacy to our trade policies to our investment policies. Secondly, we are changing how we view the ultimate goal of development. Our focus on assistance has saved lives in the short term, but it has not always improved those societies over the long term. Consider the millions of people who have relied on food assistance for decades. That is not development; that is dependence, and it is a cycle that we need to break. Instead of just managing poverty, we have to offer nations and peoples a path out of poverty. Now, let me be clear. The United States of America has been and will remain the global leader in providing assistance. We will not abandon those who depend on us for life-saving help, whether it is food or medicine. We will keep our promises and honour our commitments. In fact, my Administration has increased assistance to the least developed countries. We are working with partners to finally eradicate polio. We are building on the good efforts of my predecessor to continue to increase funds to fight HIV/AIDS, increasing those funds to record levels — and that includes strengthening our commitment to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. And we will lead in times of crisis, as we have done since the earthquake in Haiti and the floods in Pakistan. But the purpose of development — what is needed most right now — is creating the conditions where assistance is no longer needed. So we will seek partners that want to build their own capacity to provide for their people. We will seek development that is sustainable. And building in part on the lessons of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, which has helped countries such as El Salvador to build rural roads and raise the incomes of its people, we will invest in the capacity of countries that are proving their commitment to development. Remembering the lessons of the green revolution, we are expanding scientific collaboration with other countries and investing in game-changing science and technology to help spark historic leaps in development. For example, instead of just treating HIV/AIDS, we have invested in pioneering research to finally develop a way to help millions of women actually prevent themselves from being infected in the first place. Instead of simply handing out food, our food security initiative is helping countries such as Guatemala, Rwanda and Bangladesh to develop their agriculture, improve crop yields and help farmers get their products to market. Instead of simply delivering medicine, our Global Health Initiative is also helping countries such as Mali and Nepal to build stronger health systems and better deliver care. And with financial and technical assistance, we will help developing countries embrace the clean energy technologies they need to adapt to climate change and pursue low-carbon growth. In other words, we are making it clear that we will partner with countries that are willing to take the lead because the days when their development was dictated by foreign capitals must come to an end. Now, this brings me to a third pillar of our new approach. To unleash transformational change, we are putting a new emphasis on the most powerful force the world has ever known for eradicating poverty and creating opportunity. It is the force that turned South Korea from a recipient of aid to a donor of aid. It is the force that has raised living standards from Brazil to India. And it is the force that has allowed emerging African countries like Ethiopia, Malawi and Mozambique to defy the odds and make real progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, even as some of their neighbours — such as Côte d’Ivoire — have lagged. The force I am speaking about is broad-based economic growth. Now every nation will pursue its own path to prosperity, but decades of experience tell us that there are certain ingredients upon which sustainable growth and lasting development depend. We know that countries are more likely to prosper when they encourage entrepreneurship, when they invest in their infrastructure, and when they expand trade and welcome investment. So we will partner with countries like Sierra Leone to create business environments that are attractive to investment and do not scare it away. We will work to break down barriers to regional trade and urge nations to open their markets to developing countries. We will keep pushing for a Doha Round that is ambitious and balanced, and that works not just for major emerging economies, but for all economies. We also know that countries are more likely to prosper when Governments are accountable to their people. So we are leading a global effort to combat corruption, which in many places is the single greatest barrier to prosperity and which is a profound violation of human rights. That is why we now require oil, gas and mining companies that raise capital in the United States to disclose all payments they make to foreign Governments, and it is why I urged the Group of Twenty to put corruption on its agenda and make it harder for corrupt officials to steal from their own people and stifle their nation’s development. The United States will focus our development efforts on countries like Tanzania that promote good governance and democracy, the rule of law and equal administration of justice, transparent institutions with strong civil societies and respect for human rights. Because over the long run, democracy and economic growth go hand in hand. We will reach out to countries making transitions from authoritarianism to democracy and from war to peace. The people of Liberia, for example, have shown that even after years of war, great progress can be achieved. And as others show the courage to put war behind them — including, we hope, in the Sudan — the United States will stand with those that seek to build and sustain peace. We also know that countries are more likely to prosper when they tap the talents of all their people. That is why we are investing in the health, education and rights of women and working to empower the next generation of women entrepreneurs and leaders. Because when mothers and daughters have access to opportunity, that is when economies grow; that is when governance improves. And it is why we are partnering with young people, who in many developing countries make up more than half the population. We are expanding educational exchanges, like the one that brought my father here to America from Kenya. And we are helping young entrepreneurs succeed in a global economy. As the final pillar of our new approach, we will insist on more responsibility — from ourselves and from others. We insist on mutual accountability. For our part, we will work with Congress to better match our investments with the priorities of our partner countries. Guided by the evidence, we will invest in programmes that work; we will end those that do not. We need to be big-hearted but also hard-headed in our approach to development. To my fellow donor nations, I say: Let us honour our respective commitments. Let us resolve to put an end to hollow promises that are not kept. Let us commit to the same transparency that we expect from others. Let us move beyond the old, narrow debate over how much money we are spending and instead let us focus on results — whether we are actually making improvements in people’s lives. Now, to developing countries I say: This must be your moment of responsibility as well. We want you to prosper and succeed. It is not only in your interest; it is in our interests. We want to help you realize your aspirations as nations and the individuals in each of your countries. But there is no substitute for your leadership. Only you and your people can make the tough choices that will unleash the dynamism of your country. Only you can make the sustainable investments that improve the health and well-being of your people. Only you can deliver your nations to a more prosperous and just future. We can be partners, but ultimately you have to take the lead. Finally, let me say this. No one nation can do everything everywhere and still do it well. To meet our goals, we must be more selective and focus our efforts where we have the best partners and where we can have the greatest impact. And just as this work cannot be done by any one Government, it cannot be the work of Governments alone. In fact, foundations, the private sector and NGOs are making historic commitments that have redefined what is possible. And this gives us the opportunity to forge a new division of labour for development in the twenty-first century. It is a division of labour where, instead of so much duplication and inefficiency, Governments, multilaterals and NGOs are all working together. We each do the piece that we do best — as we are doing, for example, in support of Ghana’s food security plan, which will help more farmers get more goods to market and earn more money to support their families. That is the progress that is possible. Together, we can collaborate in ways unimaginable just a few years ago. Together, we can realize the future that none of us can achieve alone. Together, we can deliver historic leaps in development. We can do this, but only if we move forward with the seriousness and sense of common purpose that this moment demands. We need development that offers a path out of poverty for that child who deserves better; development that builds the capacity of countries to deliver the health care and education that their people need; development that unleashes broader prosperity and builds the next generation of entrepreneurs and emerging economies; development rooted in shared responsibility, mutual accountability and, most of all, concrete results that pull communities and countries from poverty to prosperity. These are the elements of America’s new approach. This is the work that we can do together. And this can be our plan, not simply for meeting our Millennium Development Goals, but for exceeding them and then sustaining them for generations to come. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Naoto Kan, Prime Minister of Japan.

It is an honour for me to address the General Assembly, representing my country, Japan. Ten years have passed since the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were launched here at the United Nations. We came together under one objective — the attainment of the MDGs — and we have worked together to fight poverty. During this decade, we have achieved remarkable victories. The under-five child mortality rate has been decreased by more than 3.7 million child deaths per year, as compared with 1990. An additional 37 million children have come to enjoy the benefits of primary education. I would like, at the outset, to express my respect for the efforts of those who committed themselves to achieving these outcomes. Such advances notwithstanding, the challenge of achieving the Goals is not yet won. Today, in order to address areas where progress has been particularly slow, I will announce concrete promises in the field of health, including maternal and child health, as well as in the field of education, including basic education. I call this initiative the Kan commitment. Last June, on becoming Prime Minister, I made a pledge to the people of Japan that I would achieve a society in which human suffering was reduced to a minimum. I believe that the role of political leaders is to minimize, to the extent possible, sources of misery such as disease, poverty and conflict. In other words, their role is to establish a society in which human suffering is reduced to a minimum. I have long held that belief, and I think that it resonates with the philosophy behind the MDGs. Only when such a society is realized can each and every individual find his or her own way of life and take on challenges for the fulfilment of personal dreams. My first promise based on this philosophy is that Japan will make contributions in the field of health in order to protect people’s lives. First of all, let me touch upon the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which Japan helped to found. Earlier this month, I visited the Global Fund’s photo exhibition, “Access to Life”, which was held in Japan. When I was Minister of Health and Welfare, I acknowledged for the first time the responsibility of the Government concerning the issue of HIV/AIDS infection caused by contaminated blood products. I apologized to all patients and reached a settlement. That experience made me even more powerfully interested in issues associated with various diseases, including HIV/AIDS. The recent photo exhibition gave me an opportunity to renew my awareness that in Asia, Africa, South America and many other places in the world a large number of people affected by AIDS are still losing their lives. At the same time, I should also note that, thanks to the development of new medicines, adequate treatment can prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, as well as return many people living with HIV to society. The Global Fund has been playing an outstanding role, and I would like to pay sincere tribute to it. I hereby promise that, at the third replenishment conference, scheduled for next month, Japan will announce its intention to make contributions amounting to $800 million in the coming years. Another major cause for concern is the fact that the number of deaths among children under the age of five remains high and that the reductions achieved to date in the mortality rate for infants and pregnant women are still far short of the targets set in the MDGs. We need to exert additional drastic efforts. Japan will provide assistance, in the amount of $5 billion over five years beginning in 2011, to contribute to the achievement of the health-related MDGs. We make this contribution in order to save the lives of 680,000 mothers and 11.3 million children, in cooperation with other partners. Specifically, Japan will provide intensive assistance centred on three pillars: maternal and child health, three major infectious diseases and measures to address global threats such as new influenza viruses. At the same time, Japan will propose an assistance model in maternal and child health that will give people in need access to appropriate preventive services and medical care. I call that model EMBRACE — which stands for Ensure Mothers and Babies Regular Access to Care — virtually to embrace mothers and children. This model aims to deliver a sequence of health services, including prenatal care with routine examinations and neonatal care at facilities with quality equipment and human resources, improved access to hospitals and the provision of immunizations. This is an approach to ensure a continuum of care from pregnancy to post-delivery. I emphasized the importance of this model at the Muskoka Summit of the Group of Eight, and obtained the endorsement of participating countries. I now take this opportunity to call once again on developing countries to adopt this model, and on donors and international organizations to make concerted efforts to implement optimal assistance measures in maternal and child health. I am convinced that Japan’s world-class medical services and leading technologies will also contribute to the solution of health issues. For instance, a Japanese company that plays a leadership role in my country’s business community has provided tens of millions of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets to African countries. This product has its roots in Japan’s traditional life wisdom. A cutting-edge technology has made it possible for the anti-insect effect to be long- lasting. That has made an immeasurable contribution in the struggle to eradicate malaria. As that example demonstrates, the role to be played by civil society, including the private sector and non-governmental organizations, is very significant. I fully support such endeavours on the part of civil society, now and in the future. For its part, education, in conjunction with good health, provides the basis for participation in society. It is a cause of great dismay that in the world today there are many children who are forced into hard labour or are deprived of opportunities to receive an education due to poverty and conflict. Without a proper education, young people cannot realize their potential or take an active part in their society. They lose hope and, in turn, society loses dynamism. Japan will provide $3.5 billion in assistance over five years beginning in 2011, so as to contribute to the achievement of the education-related MDGs and to provide an education to all the children of the world, including those who have been marginalized and those living in conflict areas. To that end, Japan will cooperate with developing countries and other partners. This assistance will provide a quality education environment for at least 7 million children. Japan will also pay careful attention to post-primary education, namely, secondary education, vocational training and tertiary education. Assistance for education leads to the creation of jobs and social vitality, which I consider essential. Japan therefore proposes a basic education assistance model which encourages coordinated efforts among schools, communities and Governments for the comprehensive improvement of the learning environment in such areas as quality of teachers, school management, treatment of girls and disabled students, nutrition, sanitation and child physical fitness. I call this model “School for All”, and I am confident that the introduction of this model in developing countries will lead to the diffusion of sustainable education. I call on donor countries and international organizations to work together to support children around the world in accordance with this model. Japan will definitely be standing at the forefront of such efforts. Japan attaches importance to assistance in the field of health and education because it can serve as a basis for developing countries to achieve sustained development. From that perspective, achieving the MDGs with an emphasis on these two fields is crucial. We must make the utmost effort to this end. It is important to follow up on this High-level Plenary Meeting. With that in mind, my country proposes to hold an international conference in Japan next year in order to strengthen coordination among a broad range of stakeholders, not only Governments but also international organizations and non-governmental organizations. Today, I have announced the Kan commitment, which consists of concrete measures that Japan will take, particularly in the fields of health and education. This is our promise to the next generation, who bear the world’s hopes for the future. The MDGs are the promises that our generation must keep to future generations. The path to their achievement overlaps with the path towards a society in which human suffering is reduced to a minimum. The Goals are interrelated, and much more needs to be done. However, little time remains. We, the Member States, need to renew our commitment to achieve the MDGs by 2015 and take action. Let us work together towards achieving this critical aim. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French): I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Han Seung- soo, Presidential Envoy of the Republic of Korea and President of the General Assembly at its fifty-sixth session.

We are gathered here today at a moment well past the midway point in our journey to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the 2015 target date. The past decade has witnessed impressive progress towards meeting the Goals. However, we must continue to address the unmet and under-met targets across sectors, countries and regions, so that we can break with the destiny syndrome: “where you live determines how you live”. To keep our promise to achieve the MDG targets by 2015, it will be critical to secure adequate, consistent and predictable financial resources for development. Donor countries must honour their long- standing promises and deliver on their commitments. At the same time, development financing has to be broad-based, going beyond official development assistance (ODA), as we agreed at the United Nations International Conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey, Mexico, in 2002, a conference I had the honour of hosting in my capacity as President of the General Assembly at its fifty-sixth session. Financing the MDGs has to start at home, too. We need to raise and allocate more domestic resources and revenues through improved tax systems and financing mechanisms. Innovative financing mechanisms also have much to offer to scale up existing resources. For its part, the Republic of Korea is taking concrete steps to fulfil its commitment to increase the volume of ODA to 0.25 per cent of its gross national income, about $3 million, by 2015. We are also utilizing innovative financing mechanisms to increase our support to health sectors. Of equal importance is the effective use of development resources. The call for more development resources needs to go hand in hand with the effort to improve the quality and effectiveness of development assistance through enhanced national ownership, alignment, harmonization, managing for results and mutual accountability. Following the High-level Forums on Aid Effectiveness held in Rome, Paris and Accra, Korea will host the fourth such meeting, in Busan, Korea, next year. At that fourth High-level Forum, we will assess the relevance of the principles on aid effectiveness, based on hard data and on close monitoring of those principles. However, our discussion will not stop there. We need to go even further, moving beyond the aid effectiveness agenda at the Forum. Indeed, we have to broaden our concept of development cooperation to focus more on development itself. What ultimately matters is not the effectiveness of aid, but rather the development results it brings about. We strongly support the Secretary-General’s view expressed in his report, “Keeping the Promise” (A/64/665), that the intricately interwoven nature of the MDGs calls for a holistic approach to development. Improvement in one sector will carry the momentum over to other closely related Goals. For instance, Korea fully understands the far-reaching impact of health and education on development, based on its own development experiences. Similarly, gender equality and women’s empowerment will have a multiplier effect for development. While these MDG targets are pivotal to development, their progress has been mostly disappointing. To partake in the global efforts to remedy these shortfalls, we have recently joined the Muskoka Initiative on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. In a similar vein, we welcome and support the Secretary-General’s Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health. In addition, Korea has been a solid supporter of the International Drug Purchase Facility (UNITAID) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. I am also pleased to announce that this year Korea became a new supporter of the GAVI Alliance — formerly known as the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization — which focuses on improving rates of child mortality through vaccination for those under five years old. Korea will be the first Asian country to participate in the GAVI Alliance. Another area where we are strengthening our development cooperation is addressing environmental degradation and climate change, on which the future of humanity so critically depends. Korea has been implementing the East Asia Climate Partnership to support the efforts of Asia Pacific countries to address the challenges posed by climate change. We have also launched a low-carbon green growth initiative to contribute to the promotion of green industries, which will be integral to realizing inclusive and equitable growth. In order to promote low-carbon green growth and to share our experience with developing and emerging economies, the Global Green Growth Institute was established in Korea three months ago. Our action plans need to be further focused on the regions falling behind on progress. Most of the sub- Saharan African countries and the least developed countries are seriously off track on most of the MDG targets. While Asia remains the focus of Korea’s development cooperation, we are increasing our support to Africa and to least developed countries in other regions. In this regard, we are implementing a Korea-Africa initiative as a multi-year programme for partnership with African countries. The least developed countries continue to be prominent development partners with Korea. Thus, about 50 per cent of Korea’s bilateral assistance has been allocated to low- income countries, including the least developed countries. By investing in the MDGs, we invest in global economic growth. The growth we harness, however, must be inclusive and equitable. Sustainable achievement of poverty eradication comes only when we obtain inclusive and equitable growth, where people across every sphere of society are allowed to participate in the process of development and equitably enjoy the benefits of growth. Achieving the MDGs cannot be seen as an end in itself. Our work does not stop at achieving the MDGs. We must aim at sustaining them in the long run. It is in this context that, at the forthcoming Group of Twenty (G 20) summit in Seoul in November, we will deliberate on the ways to ensure development through sustainable growth. We will utilize our comparative advantage as a group of major global economies by concentrating on laying the foundations for growth, such as infrastructure, investment, trade, human resources development and financial inclusion. Thus, the G 20 will focus on increasing the sustainability of growth by enhancing the capacity of developing countries and by securing resilience in times of financial and economic crisis. This will in turn further contribute to a sustained achievement of the MDGs. The road ahead will likely be more difficult than the road already travelled. But with the renewed resolution forged today, I am confident that we will turn our global visions into reality as we chart our path to 2015. Korea, for its part, remains very much committed to serving in a leadership role in bridging the gap between the developed and developing countries. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French): I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. S.M. Krishna, Minister for External Affairs of India.

I am honoured to be present at this august gathering and to speak on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), an aspiration that so fittingly captures the global vision and promise for humanity in the twenty-first century. Allow me to begin by thanking you, Mr. Co-Chair, for your stewardship, guidance and support of the expansive development agenda of the United Nations, including the Millennium Development Goals. In his message on United Nations Public Service Day five years ago, our Prime Minister, Mr. Manmohan Singh, said: “The Millennium Development Goals that we have set for ourselves cannot be met unless Governments are proactive. No Government in any civilized society can ignore the basic needs of people. The goal of the development process must be to include every last member of our society in that process.” As we take stock of the MDGs, we note that the world as a whole has made substantial gains but that the progress is uneven and falls short of expectations. This is particularly visible in the so-called forgotten MDGs, the MDGs that deal with women and children’s health. We are therefore happy that the Secretary- General has set out a Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health. Natural disasters have also taken a toll on MDG achievement. The death and destruction in Haiti and Pakistan have been on an unprecedented scale. As a fellow developing country that has itself seen a huge impact from such disasters, we responded, duty-bound in solidarity, to assist the Governments and people in the affected countries to the best of our ability and in keeping with their priorities. A growing concern is the impact of climate change on vulnerable communities and regions in our country. Rain-fed agriculture accounts for 60 per cent of crop area in India. Climate change has aggravated the situation in traditionally drought- and flood-prone regions in the country. The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme was designed to provide relief to affected farming communities in the country. We in India are alive to the challenges of climate change, and remain committed to mounting appropriate national and regional responses. Our national action plan on climate change will increase the share of clean and renewable energy in our energy mix, increase energy efficiency across the economy and expand our forest cover. With just five years to go until the MDG target year, and given our record of mixed success, it is imperative that we significantly step up our individual and collective commitments and efforts for the realization of the MDGs. Our collective efforts have certainly borne fruit towards the goal of poverty eradication at the global level. But more than 60 million people slipped back into poverty in 2009 following the economic and financial crisis of 2008. This has certainly had a regressive impact on the MDGs. It is, therefore, important that we ensure that global economic recovery is durable, balanced and sustainable. This is also critical for achieving the MDGs and for us to be able to effectively address the challenges of food and energy security, climate change and natural disasters. As far as India is concerned, our economy has shown resilience and is expected to grow by 8.5 per cent in 2010-2011, and by over 9 per cent in 2011-2012. The Millennium Development Goals Report 2010, published by the United Nations, notes that India’s efforts on poverty reduction have been a major contributor to a reduction in global poverty levels; some 188 million people in India will be out of poverty by 2015. We need, however, to be cognizant of the fact that the largest concentration of poor in the world remains in India and South Asia. The long distance we still have to travel to put poverty behind us in India should not be underestimated. Our efforts, therefore, are aimed at pushing push for growth while ensuring that the fruits of growth reach out across our society. That is what we call inclusive growth. This indeed is the main objective of India’s ambitious socio-economic development programmes. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, with an annual budget of $8 billion, is the largest cash for work poverty alleviation programme in the world and has benefited 50 million rural households in India thus far. By law, all Indian children aged 6 to 14 years must now receive free education. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, a universal elementary education programme with an annual budget of $3 billion, has dramatically increased primary school enrolment. To ensure that children remain in school, and that this also benefits them nutritionally, we also run the largest school lunch programme in the world. This is being supplemented by Saakshar Bharat, a special programme focused on female literacy launched in 2009. Enormous strides have been made in the empowerment of women. India has embarked on perhaps the most ambitious affirmative action initiative ever by mandating that one third of all elected positions in local government be reserved for women. We are striving to raise this figure even higher. More than a million women representatives already hold elected positions in India. Legislation to extend the reservation of seats in parliament is under consideration. India faces enormous challenges in the areas of women’s and children’s health. The Government of India adopted a multi-pronged strategy under the National Rural Health Mission in 2005 to provide rural area health care that is accessible, affordable, accountable, effective and reliable. This Mission is fully focused on improving our standing on maternal and child health indicators. Under the umbrella of this Mission, recently, in order to accelerate progress, new initiatives have been identified, namely, the name- based tracking of pregnant women, a maternal death review, an adolescent reproductive and sexual health programme, differential planning and an annual health survey. Janani Suraksha Yojana, our dedicated safe motherhood programme, has so far benefited 28 million women. As a result of ongoing efforts, the maternal mortality rate in India has come down from 301 per 100,000 live births during the period 2001- 2003 to 254 during the period 2004-2006, a decline of 47 points over a period of three years. Though we are still some distance away from the target of 109 by 2015, given the rate of decline in the past and comprehensive efforts being made across the country, it appears that India is on the right track with regard to MDG 5. We are also trying to take similar strides on the infant mortality rate. India has made notable progress on combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. The HIV epidemic has reached a plateau in India, and we now have the prevalence rate down to 0.34 per cent. India has made valuable use of technology to bring the benefits of development to our people. Teledensity in India has increased from 0.67 per cent in 1991 to 37 per cent in 2009. Our innovative and low- cost technology solutions in the field of information technology and telecommunication have brought about development benefits, not just in India, but also to people in Africa, Latin America and elsewhere. In August 2010, we launched the second phase of the Pan-African e-network project. The network project will link all 53 countries in Africa with centres of excellence in India for telemedicine and tele-education services. More than 1,700 students from African countries have already registered with Indian universities for various courses, and regular telemedical consultations have started between African doctors and Indian specialists. The lack of progress on building a robust global partnership needs to be urgently addressed. Unmet financial commitments by developed country partners have widened the financing for development gap. We call upon them to fulfil the commitment made long ago to devote 0.7 per cent of gross national income to official development assistance. Equally urgent is the need to transfer technology and undertake capacity- building in developing countries. The quantum leap in South-South cooperation has significantly complemented global resources targeted at the development agenda, but it cannot be a substitute for North-South cooperation. We are happy that India’s development partnership with countries in the South today goes beyond technical cooperation. Our annual outlay on concessional lending and grants is well over $1 billion and covers countries in our region, in Africa and beyond. In addition, $5 billion has been extended in lines of credit since 2003. We are committed to doing more in the coming years with our partners in the South and to stepping up our support to South- South cooperation, both on the development side and in support of humanitarian needs. India is seized of the MDG challenges that lie ahead of us. Our commitment remains resolute. Our national goal of inclusive growth and the larger idea of a more humane and just global society that underlines the Millennium Declaration will continue to inspire us to work untiringly to achieve the MDGs by 2015. In the final march towards the attainment of the MDGs, let us be inspired by the belief of Mahatma Gandhi in the limitless potential of human achievement. He said that “a small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history”. That should be the driving force for nations around the world. To that we dedicate ourselves. The Co-Chair (Mr. Treki) (spoke in Arabic): I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Xavier Espot Miró, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Institutional Relations of the Principality of Andorra.

We are here in New York today in the same Hall where we met 10 years ago, when all Member States made promises in the form of concrete goals to combat poverty and work on behalf of the world’s most vulnerable people. At that time, we spoke of global solidarity rising above national interests. We also spoke of fair globalization as a cornerstone for peace and security. Today we face promises that may not be able to be met. If we are optimistic, we may note some progress, even if it has been unequal. People who have fallen victim to violent conflict and those most vulnerable to natural disasters have once again remained on the sidelines of development. World Bank statistics show that in recent years the number of people in extreme poverty has fallen by 28 per cent. That decrease was concentrated mainly in Eastern Asia, while the regions of Western Asia and sub-Saharan Africa saw movement in the opposite direction. The situation is critical when we talk about hunger and malnutrition. We must not forget today that billions of people are victims of hunger — an alarming figure. The current financial crisis has only served to exacerbate the situation, in particular in sub-Saharan Africa, where salaries have fallen and prices for staples continue to rise. In the area of education, the 2010 Education for All Global Monitoring Report, published by UNESCO, reveals that much headway has been made in the past 10 years. Nonetheless, there are still 72 million children in the world who do not receive schooling. With regard to gender equality, we welcome the creation of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women). I hope that this new tool will make it possible to improve women’s participation in the political and economic spheres. In the area of health, we have not yet resolved the problem of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. At the same time, 80 per cent of diseases are the result of pollution and shortages of water. Every day, more than 5,000 children under the age of five die due to water that is not safe to drink. The right to drinking water is a fundamental right. We hope that, in line with the fundamental right to water and sanitation, we will be able to step up efforts to guarantee better access to drinking water. We have indeed made progress, but the results are relative and still fall far short of the Millennium Development Goals. Moreover, collective security, the fight against terrorism, financial stability and the issue of commodity prices can be added to the list of objectives. We all recognize that, year after year, we are becoming increasingly dependent upon each other. We know that shared prosperity translates into shared security. Why is it so difficult to make available the resources required to achieve the Goals? In Andorra, the achievement of the MDGs is endorsed and respected by the entire society. Moreover, we engage in cooperation so that the Goals can be achieved throughout the world, while at the same time taking into account the situation of our own country. Our Development Cooperation Service, which I have the honour to lead, was established in 2001. Today, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Institutional Relations allocates 23 per cent of its financial resources to development cooperation. Andorra’s development aid plan, which governs our cooperation, takes into account the Millennium Development Goals, which are included as priority areas for our cooperation. Andorra promotes solidarity among human beings at both the community and the Government levels. Andorran associations are also making their contribution to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. We have entered the home stretch of a race that will conclude in five years. We face difficulties that are more serious than expected. The efforts we have made to date have not been sufficient. The word “crisis” in Chinese is made up of two characters. One means danger and the other means opportunity. We must try to get back on track. This requires all States to be able to carry out their own development policies adapted to their needs. Accordingly, the role of the United Nations and all of its specialized agencies is crucial. In conclusion, I would like to express my Government’s support for the draft outcome document of this Meeting (A/65/L.1). We hope that each one of us will find the ways and means to achieve a multiplier effect and reverse the current trends. We are convinced that we can make the most of this. The Co-Chair (Mr. Treki) (spoke in Arabic): I now give the floor to the His Excellency Mr. Hugo Roger Martínez Bonilla, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of El Salvador.

In fulfilment of the commitments entered into with respect to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), it is a priority for El Salvador to comply with the Goals’ indicators. We know that it is possible to achieve the Goals if they are fully addressed through public economic and social policies that promote the inclusion in the development process of all citizens as their advocates and beneficiaries, especially the more vulnerable sectors. In this regard, the model of economic growth with social inclusion which President Carlos Mauricio Funes Cartagena has launched emphasizes, among other things, the strengthening of personal and social capacities, access to basic public goods, the rebuilding of the social fabric and the creation of employment opportunities. The elimination of poverty and hunger, the achievement of universal primary education and the improvement of the health of the population are some of the key elements in the national five-year plan that we are promoting in El Salvador. Furthermore, President Funes has proposed that these development initiatives be taken to a regional level in Central America through a social compact which will make it possible to improve the standard of living and the development of our peoples and to turn us into a more prosperous and inclusive region in the concert of nations. We are pleased with the recognition made by President Obama of the efforts being made by El Salvador and other countries in striving to achieve the MDGs. Efforts aimed at eradicating poverty mainly require investments in basic education, sanitation, the supply of drinking water, decent housing, food supply and adequate infrastructure for a population that is rapidly growing. We also want to create jobs for the growing number of young people joining the labour force at a time when unemployment becomes a threat, especially in urban areas. Even though this was an extraordinary year, given the global economic crisis, the problems in terms of security and the high exposure to natural disasters, we were able, through measures implemented during this period, to make some considerable gains, which deserve mention. For example, I would underline the launching of a real estate guarantee fund; agricultural kits for small producers; delivery of land titles; a programme of temporary income support; the implementation of a rural communities solidarity programme, which has reached 100 extremely poor municipalities and delivered health and education vouchers to 106,000 families; the issuing of universal basic pensions, starting in November 2009, to 7,000 adults over 70 years old in 32 municipalities suffering severe extreme poverty. These actions are all steps taken in support of MDG 1. With respect to MDG 2, we can mention the expansion of the coverage of the school food programme, which serves on the national level almost 5,000 schools and which benefits more than 1,330,000 students. With respect to other MDGs, we note the issuance of unemployment certificates, beginning in February 2010, which guarantee workers who have been laid off six months of health care services and the regional provision of essential medicines to health units. Similarly, the elimination of the fee required for access to the public health system contributed to a 40 per cent increase in the demand for health services. The Government of El Salvador has been developing a thorough reform of its health system which during decades had been abandoned. This reform is motivated by the recognition that health is a public good and a fundamental human right, which the State must therefore guarantee to all its population. We will continue to create spaces for the active social participation of all sectors, particularly those which have been traditionally excluded. This step, which was announced this week by President Funes, will take health to the homes of Salvadorans and will open up job opportunities for 14,000 health professionals. Another of the most relevant examples of this inclusive policy which takes human rights into account is the national response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic led by the Government of El Salvador, with the decisive support of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and other technical and financial cooperation agencies, in order to work on the country’s policy in the promotion, prevention, early detection, follow-up and treatment of sexually transmitted infections and diseases as well as of HIV/AIDS. The Government has thus committed itself to undertaking relevant measures and actions to achieve the targets proposed in the MDGs. In this framework, the awareness of the population concerning a reduction in stigma and discrimination, the reduction of mother-to- child transmission, the free and mass HIV testing and access to antiretroviral therapy, also free of cost, by persons who need it are placing the country on the right path to achieve MDG 6. In emphasizing these results, I would like to say that experience shows us that in order for these policies to be effective, they must include a gender perspective as well as one of social inclusion while making deliberate efforts to offer incentives to civil society institutions to participate with the strategies that address the basic needs of the population. To this end, we promote the participation of the young population, communities, schools and non-governmental organizations, among other stakeholders, in the delivery of promotion and prevention programmes to reduce health risks, to prevent dropping out of school, to expand the coverage of services, and to contribute to the prevention of harm or risky behaviour. Another measure was the devising of social programmes as part of a universal protection system, which gave rise to policies that promoted broad coverage and inclusiveness. For example, we eliminated voluntary quotas in hospitals and started the mass distribution of free medicines as part of the national health system. In the area of preventive medicine, the Government trebled the use of vaccines. We also doubled the investment in vaccines by introducing the pneumonia vaccine. Similarly, during President Funes’s administration we will have brought into the health system thousands of women employed as domestic workers, who are mostly single mothers and heads of household. In the area of education, the Government implemented the most ambitious programme of assistance to low-income families ever carried out in El Salvador. The school kit includes uniforms, shoes and school supplies for students attending public school. This major programme was designed so as not only to assist families but also to promote employment. More than 40,000 artisans, family businesses, microenterprises and cooperatives participated in the sewing of uniforms and the manufacture of shoes as well as distributing raw materials and products. To strengthen aid to the neediest areas of the country, we extended the solidarity initiative for rural communities to cover the 100 poorest municipalities. Moreover, in the 32 poorest municipalities in the rural zones, we initiated the universal basic pension for persons over 70 years of age without means, who had never before received Government help. Given the threat of the exponential growth of urban poverty as a result of the global financial crisis, urban solidarity communities were created, which included two pilot programmes. One is the temporary income aid programme, which consists of a stipend of $100 per month for unemployed youth and women heads of household, in exchange for which the recipients offer four days of productive community work and attend a day of job training. Four hundred twenty thousand agricultural kits, with seeds and fertilizer, have been distributed to small rural producers who cultivate up to 0.7 hectares of land for their own consumption to help them with their family finances. While recognizing that each country must take responsibility for its own development agenda, we are also convinced that — because it is a commitment on the part of the international community — all national efforts must be supported and complemented by the solidarity and cooperation of the international community. In this context we commend and we share the vision of the Secretary-General, who recently stated that the priority for the next five years must be to increase assistance to projects that can yield the best results. We therefore support the establishment and maintenance of a global alliance for development that is united and generous and takes into account the capacities, resources and limitations — and above all, the commitment — of each Government towards meeting the MDGs as criteria to support the flow of assistance needed to achieve those Goals. El Salvador shares the vision that all Member States will attain, through achieving the MDGs, better standards of living for their peoples, but above all for the most vulnerable groups. The Co-Chair (Mr. Treki) (spoke in Arabic): I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Kevin Rudd, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia.

As nations we have a responsibility to do that which we say we will do — a responsibility to keep our promises to fellow Member States and a responsibility to turn our commitments, solemnly given in this great Hall, into concrete actions that change the lives of the poorest of the poor across the world. A decade ago, we, the nations of the world, assembled here to offer the world’s poor a fairer share in the world’s future. A decade later we gather once again to take stock and to celebrate that which we have done, but also honestly to admit where we have failed. I want to begin with a story of two children. The first is about a young girl I met on Monday, here in New York. Her name is Nthabiseng. She was born in Soweto. Nthabiseng is a beautiful little girl with the brightest of smiles. She is 12 years old. But when she was seven, her mother died. Normally, that would have consigned her to a life of poverty. But Nthabiseng was determined to get an education. She said, “When children are stopped from going to school, they are losing their future and they are losing their tomorrow.” Now she is doing very well in school and has a very bright future. Children like Nthabiseng will benefit from the United Nations One Goal programme, which seeks to make education a reality for all the children in the world, not just some. The second story is of a young boy who has never been to New York. He too lost his mother — she died giving birth to him. His family ekes out a living in the slums of one of the world’s developing mega-cities, not far from the skyscrapers of its booming financial district. This little boy’s days are spent not in school but in the traffic of the city, begging for spare change at car windows when cars stop at the lights. We have all seen him in our travels. I have not given him a name. He has thousands of names. And right now, he is without hope. Why do I tell these stories? Because they are the human faces of what happens when the world acts with compassion — and when it does not. The first story inspires us to further action. The second should make us determined to act for all. At the turn of the millennium we, the States Members of the United Nations, made a compact with one another. We said we would put our shoulders to the wheel to lift a billion people out of poverty. And we said we should be measured by these Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2015: to halve poverty and hunger, to give every girl and boy the chance of a good education, to make big cuts in the number of women dying in childbirth and children dying from easily preventable diseases, to promote gender equality and empower women, to combat HIV/AIDS, to ensure global sustainability and to develop a global partnership for development. Ten years on, it is time to reflect on the report card of our progress. The truth is we are not yet on track to register even the barest of passing marks. Successes in some areas — poverty reduction and school enrolment — must be weighed against failures in other areas, including maternal health and child nutrition. Our failures have attracted vocal critics — those who say that international aid does not work, that it is wasted that it is poorly managed, that there is just no point. This is not Australia’s view. Our view is that the richest among us have a profound responsibility to help the poorest members of the human family out of poverty. Poverty is degrading. Poverty is dehumanizing. Poverty destroys human dignity. As the Secretary-General reminded us in his report “Keeping the promise” (A/64/665), the MDGs are an expression of basic human rights, the rights of everyone to good health, education and shelter. I believe that these truths are in fact self-evident. But for those who doubt that there is any self-evident truth in this concept of social justice we should consider the following. Eliminating extreme poverty boosts global growth for all. It grows the global cake. It grows trade and investment. It grows jobs. It acts against political and religious extremism and radicalization. It builds peace. It enhances stability. And it reduces dangerous, irregular movements of people around the world. In other words, eliminating extreme poverty is good for the entire human family, and it is good for all nations. As members of the family of nations, we cannot stand idly by while 70 million children are unable to attend school. We cannot stand idly by when hundreds of thousands of women die in childbirth — an estimated 358,000 in the year before last. Nor can we stand idly by while infectious diseases cut a devastating swath through the communities of the poor. The chilling fact is that more than half of the 800 million people in the least developed countries of the world are still living in extreme poverty. Let us be honest. Donor countries have made commitments that they have not honoured. For example, less than half of the funding pledged to Africa five years ago in the Gleneagles declaration of the Group of Eight has been delivered. The answer is not to push our commitments even further into the future, nor is it simply to sweep it all quietly under the international carpet. The answer is to do that which we say that we will do: to honour our commitments, even when the global economic environment is hard, because for the poorest of the poor, it is even harder. This is what Australia seeks to do. Several years ago, halfway to the 2015 deadline, we in Australia saw that our efforts were not sufficient. We realized that we had to do much more. By 2015, on current projections, our aid budget will double, just as it doubled between 2005 and 2010. That will make Australia the fastest-growing donor country in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. We have maintained our commitment, including a 200 per cent increase in aid to Africa alone, despite the impacts of the financial crisis. The Australian Government, under Prime Minister Gillard, puts the MDGs at the heart of our aid programme, and, as Australia’s aid programme doubles over the next five years, we will increase our support to the least developed countries through the MDGs. Today I am committing Australia to work towards providing 0.15 per cent of our gross national income in aid to the least developed countries, in line with international targets. Across our entire overseas development assistance programme, Australia expects between now and 2015 to allocate A$5 billion to education, A$1.6 billion to women’s and children’s health, A$1.8 billion to food security, and A$1.2 billion to action on climate-change adaptation and mitigation in developing countries, including the 39 small island developing States that are the most exposed to, but the least responsible for, that great threat to our planet — climate change. Australia will also work to open world markets to least developed countries in order to enable private commerce, trade and investment to help lift these countries out of poverty. All that is made possible by necessary governance measures to provide transparency and accountability. Those elements are the necessary stepping stones to development. I began with a story of two children, one with opportunities and one without. The Australian people by instinct want to see that all the little ones of the world are given a fair go. Through their generous private donations and through the official aid programme paid for by taxes, Australians want to provide opportunities for all the peoples of the world to live a decent life. Australian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are active across the world — NGOs including World Vision, Oxfam, Caritas, ChildFund, Plan International, the Red Cross and the Oaktree Foundation. Let me conclude by quoting a third child — this time a young Australian, a 10-year-old girl who wrote to me with the following: “I think kids in other countries have the same rights as kids here — yes, that’s right. Kids everywhere should have the same things we have — like good teachers, doctors, houses and clean water.” The Governments of the world cannot let down the children of the world. If we want to reform this great institution — these United Nations, this parliament of humankind — we should not begin with another grand plan. We should simply begin by doing that which we say we will do. We in Australia want to do just that. We want to play our part in bringing these Millennium Development Goals into reality, to make a fundamental difference to the world’s poor, and to make a fundamental difference to the future of all humankind. The Co-Chair (Mr. Treki) (spoke in Arabic): I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Mourad Medelci, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria.

Our meeting today is an excellent opportunity to evaluate the efforts to implement the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). At the same time, it allows us to note the obstacles that hamper their achievement, to learn lessons and to renew commitments as part of our future work. Today, although we can express satisfaction at the progress made by some countries in the five years since the first evaluation meeting and five years before the 2015 deadline, we must also note that many countries are not going to achieve the Goals. Further complicating matters is the slowdown resulting from the food, climate and economic crises from which African countries, in particular, have suffered — countries that have made considerable efforts to implement the MDGs. It is therefore not surprising that the most recent African Union Summit, in Kampala, focused its work on the MDGs, especially maternal and child health. Nonetheless, the people of Africa are responsible for their own development, as the New Partnership for Africa’s Development has affirmed. However, that responsibility should be shared with and supported by the international community. In that context, all considerations concerning our future actions should, in my view, keep in mind two key points. First, the eradication of poverty and hunger is the main MDG and broadly determines the implementation of the rest of the Goals, and secondly, the crucial need to overcome poverty and hunger in the world puts the mobilization of resources, particularly financial resources, at the core of any action aimed at implementing the MDGs. These key points have led me to propose the following ideas for our action in future, as part of the efforts to improve the performance of developing countries in achieving the MDGs. First, the flow of official development assistance (ODA) must double to bring it into line with international commitments, particularly those made by the Group of Eight. For many countries ODA plays a key role in poverty reduction. Secondly, we need to move towards a delay on debt for struggling developing countries in order to complement those multilateral and bilateral initiatives already adopted to cancel or mitigate the debt burden for the poorest and least developed countries. Thirdly, we should encourage industrialized countries to increase their foreign direct investment in the poorest countries. And fourthly, we should improve access to developed countries’ markets for developing countries’ exports. As far as Algeria is concerned, we are firmly committed to achieving the MDGs by putting economic and social development at the heart of the new investment programme for 2010 to 2014. Today, we can state that my country — which has just presented its second national report on progress towards implementing the MDGs — has already achieved several Goals, particularly in the areas of fighting poverty and of education. That is why our poverty levels have dropped, from 7.1 per cent in the 1990s to 5 per cent in 2009, and why more than a million housing units were built during the five-year period from 2005 to 2009, in large part to help abolish substandard housing. In the area of education, the school enrolment rate for six-year-olds has risen from 93 per cent in 1999 to 96.97 per cent in 2009. The challenges we face today demand that we all increase our efforts to do better, and faster. More than ever, that requires of us self-reliance through solidarity, through developing everybody’s capacities, and through partnership for the poorest and most underprivileged. The Co-Chair (Mr. Treki) (spoke in Arabic): I now give the floor to Her Excellency Ms. Márcia Helena Carvalho Lopes, Minister for Social Development and the Fight Against Hunger of the Federative Republic of Brazil.

It is an honour to represent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at this meeting of great global interest. After seven and a half years of President Lula’s Government, Brazil has consolidated a model for fairer and more equitable economic growth, with social participation and inclusion. We are thus repaying our immense debt to the Brazilian people and achieving excellent results in seeking to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In spite of the sectorial advances in some countries, it seems clear that if the current trends are maintained, we will not achieve all the MDGs by 2015. It is up to this meeting, therefore, to identify the necessary and urgent strategies to accelerate the international community’s efforts to meet the Goals. However, Brazil considers that meeting the MDGs will not be possible without the allocation of significant additional financial resources in a stable and predictable manner, particularly to the poorest countries. Few developed countries have fulfilled the established agreements to promote development, in particular their commitment to allocate 0.7 per cent of their gross national income to official development assistance. Brazil firmly believes that all countries must fulfil their international obligations. It is our understanding that international cooperation must be accompanied by substantive reform of the international economic system, including in the area of governance. We also consider it necessary to overcome the obstacles presented by agricultural subsidies and tariffs, restrictive patents and unsustainable debt. Brazil’s progress is the result of a combination of structured, nationwide social policies that enjoy the active participation of civil society. We set a goal for ourselves, more ambitious than the Goal established in 2000, to eradicate hunger and to reduce extreme poverty by three fourths by 2015. That goal was reached in 2007 and surpassed in 2008, when the percentage of the population living in extreme poverty dropped to 4.8 per cent — less than one fifth of the 1990 level of 25.6 per cent. In 2008, we also reduced our country’s historical inequality, with Brazil’s Gini index reached 0.544, its lowest level ever. The Lula Government put in place a wide-ranging social protection system that reaches 70 million people every month. The Family Stipend programme today benefits 12.6 million families, guaranteeing income upon their meeting conditions in the areas of education, maternal and child health, and avoidance of child labour. We are implementing the Unified Social Assistance System and the National System of Food and Nutritional Security. The minimum wage has been significantly increased, improving the income of workers, retirees and pensioners. The internal market was expanded through employment and income- generating policies, even during the recent international financial crisis. The promotion of policies aimed at ensuring decent work for all and racial equality have also been priority issues. With regard to education, 95 per cent of Brazilian children are in school, and the conditions attached to the Family Stipend have increased the time that they remain there. In terms of gender equality and the empowerment of women, the indicators for education are positive. In the labour force, the wage gap between men and women has been shrinking in the last five years. However, high levels of violence against women continue to pose a challenge. In light of that, Brazil is fully committed to the Unite to End of Violence against Women campaign. Brazil has constantly improved the largest unified universal and free public health system, the “SUS”. We will have the opportunity to share our experiences with other countries in two international conferences that Brazil will host: the first, this coming December, on universal social security systems, and the second, in October of 2011, on the social determinants of health. An important result in the area of health has been the 58 per cent decrease in the mortality rate of children under the age of five, meeting the Goal before the deadline. Addressing maternal mortality is a major challenge for the Brazilian Government. In spite of a decrease since 1990, it is still high in Brazil, thus requiring more targeted policies. Over the past few years, there has been a decrease in Brazil in the incidence of tuberculosis and of deaths resulting from that disease, as well as a decrease in the incidence of malaria in the Amazon region. The Brazilian Government, with the participation of civil society, implements free and universal programmes of information dissemination regarding HIV/AIDS. It distributes preventive materials and ensures access to anti-retroviral drugs to around 220,000 people. The incidence of HIV/AIDS in children has fallen drastically as a result of actions adopted in Brazil to reduce vertical transmission of HIV. Regarding MDG 7, Brazil has reduced deforestation levels in the Amazon and established a system to monitor the deforestation in the cerrado — the Brazilian savanna. Forty-five per cent of our internal energy supply comes from renewable sources. Our levels of carbon dioxide emissions originating from fossil fuels are at half the global average. Brazil has achieved its goal of halving the proportion of the population without access to safe drinking water in urban areas. Sixty-six per cent of this population today has adequate living conditions, as opposed to 51 per cent in 1992. Brazil is increasingly contributing to the global partnership for development, sharing successful experiences and deepening cooperation through a South-South perspective. Between 2003 and 2009, the Brazilian Government concluded over 400 cooperation agreements with other developing countries. We granted $1.25 billion in debt relief to those countries. Since the launch of the global Action against Hunger and Poverty and the creation of the pilot, Brazil has actively participated in innovative financing mechanisms, including through significant financial contributions. No country should be allowed to fall short of the Millennium Development Goals because of lack of financial resources. Any country’s inability to achieve its national goals is also our responsibility. There are many challenges still ahead of us, but Brazil remains committed to promoting the achievement of all the MDGs and to ensuring a more just world for all women and men. We can all do better. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French): The Assembly will now hear an address by Mr. Muhammad Mumuni, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of the Republic of Ghana.

At the turn of the century, in September 2000, Ghana, along with 189 Member States of this august Organization, adopted the Millennium Declaration (resolution 55/2) that laid out the vision for a world of common values and renewed determination to achieve peace and a decent standard of living for every man, woman and child. The eight goals that emanated from the Millennium Declaration were expected to generate unprecedented and coordinated action within the United Nations system, including the Bretton Woods institutions, and within the wider donor community. Ghana has since mainstreamed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) into its medium-term development policy frameworks: the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy I, 2003-2005, and the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy II, 2006-2009. The two policy frameworks focused on macroeconomic stability, gainful employment, human resource development, the provision of basic services, the vulnerable and the excluded. Other areas included good governance, continued macroeconomic stability, private sector competitiveness and civic responsibility. Ghana’s development agenda has been focused on growth and poverty reduction, with the MDGs being adopted as the minimum requirements for socio- economic development. It was estimated that the total resources needed to implement the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy II over the period 2006-2009 was $8.06 billion, with considerable proportions of these funds allocated towards the implementation of MDG- related programmes and projects. Achieving the MDGs is no mean task. For Ghana, halving the proportion of people below the poverty line alone will require an annual investment expenditure of approximately $1.9 billion over the period 2005-2015. In addition, the country also needs to address critical infrastructure gaps, especially in energy, information and communications technology, rural roads, water and sanitation, low productivity in agriculture, and improving business and investment climate. Although poverty levels have declined, inequality exists between and within regions and districts, together with other challenges. The country continues to depend on primary commodity exports such as cocoa and gold with limited diversification or processing, and now there is concern that the discovery of oil may aggravate the situation. Ghana is also vulnerable to external shocks arising from commodity price volatility, as well as challenges posed by climate change manifested through high temperatures, sea- level rise, droughts and floods, which affect agricultural output with repercussions for other sectors of the economy. Despite these constraints, Ghana continues to strive towards achieving the MDGs. Ghana’s current socio-economic development agenda is to attain middle-income status by 2020 within a decentralized democratic environment. This is being pursued simultaneously with the adoption of a social protection policy aimed at empowering the vulnerable and the excluded, especially women, to contribute to and also share in the benefits of economic growth. To underscore Ghana’s commitment to the attainment of the MDGs, the 2010-2013 Medium Term Development Policy Framework — the successor to the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy II — has also harmonized national development priorities with the MDGs. The Government continues to work aggressively towards improving and sustaining macroeconomic stability, enhancing the nation’s competitiveness in industry and service sectors, and achieving agricultural modernization, infrastructural transformation, human resources development and transparency and accountability. The Parliament of Ghana also does its bit through its Committee on Poverty and the MDGs by sensitizing ministries, departments and agencies to make provision in their budget proposals to support MDG and other pro-poor programmes. We are approximately four and a half years from the 2015 target date for achieving the MDGs, and Ghana’s progress is encouraging. According to a report released by the British Overseas Development Institute, an international think tank, Ghana is firmly on track to achieve MDG 1, halving poverty, MDG 2, achieving universal basic education, and part of MDG 3, ensuring gender parity especially at the primary school level, before the target date 2015. The report further states that “Ghana outperformed all other countries around the world by reducing hunger across its population by nearly three-quarters, from 34 per cent to 9 per cent between 1990 and 2004. The report points out that Ghana is on course to be the first African country to achieve MDG 1, halving poverty and hunger by 2015. Significant progress has been made towards achieving the MDG 4 target, reducing both infant and under-five mortality rates by two thirds by 2015, and it is possible for Ghana to achieve that target if we scale up efforts and sustain the child survival interventions which brought about the current improvement. Despite heightened efforts over the years, the maternal mortality rate is still unacceptably high, currently standing at 451 deaths per 100,000 live births, which means that Ghana is unlikely to attain the target of reducing the maternal mortality ratio by three quarters by 2015, despite improvements in maternal health care over the past 20 years. HIV/AIDS prevalence, which is covered by MDG 6, in Ghana fell from 3.2 per cent in 2006 to 2.2 per cent in 2008 but the challenge to meet the 2015 target of halting and reversing the spread of the epidemic remains daunting though not insurmountable. A great deal needs to be done in terms of educational campaigns and other HIV/AIDS programmes to promote significant behavioural change. The incidence of malaria remains a serious public health concern. It is still considered a leading cause of mortality and morbidity particularly among pregnant women and children aged under five. Ghana is also on track to achieve the MDG 7 target of reducing by half the proportion of people without access to improved water before 2015. However, critical challenges exist in providing access to improved sanitation and reducing the proportion of the urban population living in slum areas. Although access to improved sanitation has been increasing, Ghana is unlikely to achieve the targets unless extra effort is made to accelerate the pace of policy implementation. With respect to MDG 8, what is of essence is the political will to fulfil pledges already made. The success stories in a number of developing countries show that rapid progress towards achieving the MDGs is still possible when sound national development policies are supported effectively by development partners and the international community with adequate financial and technical assistance. Existing international commitments can extend these success stories and facilitate achievement of the MDGs. Approximately two years ago, it was said that meeting the MDGs, especially reducing poverty by one half by 2015, would require raising the annual flow of official development assistance to poor countries by at least $50 or $60 billion above the prevailing level. We are mindful of the adverse consequences unleashed by the global financial, oil and food crises on major economies, but $60 billion is a sum that definitely pales by comparison with the domestic bailouts and other response measures adopted by the advanced economies in the wake of the crises at home. This notwithstanding, the supportive environment for achieving the MDGs remains strong in Ghana, and I believe this is also true in many other developing countries. Besides the direct poverty reduction expenditures, the Government is also implementing policies and programmes that have high potential to support wealth creation and sustainable poverty reduction. For instance, in Ghana today, social protection programmes such as the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty project, which supports extremely poor households with monthly cash transfers. The improved National Health Insurance Scheme ensures quality access to health care for all at affordable or no cost. The enhanced capitation grant guarantees every child of school-going age the right to free basic education. The supply of free exercise books and school uniforms to deprived communities encourages school attendance and ensures retention. And the expansion of the School Feeding Programme enhances school enrolment and improves the nutritional and health status of children. The Co-Chair (Mr. Treki) (spoke in Arabic): I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. João Gomes Cravinho, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Portuguese Republic.

On behalf of my Government, allow me to thank you, Mr. Co-Chair, for convening this summit on the Millennium Development Goals. It is essential that we seize this moment to strengthen international cooperation and galvanize action towards the implementation of the commitments that we agreed upon ten years ago. In the aftermath of this High-level Plenary Meeting, Portugal will be hosting a ministerial meeting on the mobilization of financial resources for the least developed countries, in Lisbon on 2 and 3 October 2010. This will be an opportunity to come back to the main issues of this summit, to put at the core of our attention the vulnerabilities and the needs of the least developed countries, and to assess the best ways in which we can collectively help to address them. We must reinforce the principle of ownership and reaffirm clearly that each country is primarily responsible for its own economic and social development. But at the same time, we must redouble efforts to generate appropriate international support mechanisms. Ten years ago, in an atmosphere of confidence and growth, the common concern for the development and dignity of all peoples in the world led to the affirmation of a shared and global commitment, the Millennium Declaration. For the past 10 years, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have represented a shared agenda, involving the mutual responsibility and accountability of developed and developing countries, guided in their policies by their commitments to the MDGs. The political and policy relevance of this agenda is unquestionable, and it is imperative that the MDGs remain a reference framework, thus allowing for measuring and tracking results. Where do we stand in 2010? I believe that we can refer both to results and to shortcomings. There has been significant progress by many countries, including in Africa, in many areas, but much still remains to be done by all parties if the Goals are to be attained by 2015. The world has changed dramatically since the Millennium Declaration was adopted, and the forces of change have accelerated with the financial crisis that we have experienced in the past couple of years. The geostrategic balance and the development paradigm are now very different from what we faced 10 years ago when we adopted the MDGs. Developed economies are struggling with growth and deficits while, all over, emerging economies are influencing the world economy and playing an increasing role at the global level. Clearly, we now live in a multi-polar world, although our institutional frameworks and even our language and mindsets still remain to be updated to this reality. In this new international context, a much greater role must be taken on by organizations of regional integration in the emerging global governance architecture. These organizations constitute the best framework in which to voice concerns and put forward proposals that reflect different experiences and particular ways of facing the challenges ahead of us. The complexity of the world obliges us to test new concepts for action and to take advantage of diversity. The clear North-South divide in which the old development paradigm was embedded is now no longer so evident. The sooner we adapt to this reality, the better we will collectively manage the many global challenges that stand before us. In the next five years, we must also address new and global challenges, such as the increased impact of climate change, the financial and economic crisis and food security. New geopolitical tensions in different regions are conditioning the development of hundreds of millions of people. These have become critical for the MDGs and for the post-2015 agenda. While some of these challenges call for a longer-term involvement, we cannot afford to postpone action. First, on climate change: its impacts, particularly on the most vulnerable countries, such as the least developed countries and small island developing States, are increasingly evident. Every day, the negative effects of climate change claim thousands of human lives and important livelihood stocks. The very existence of some island States is even threatened. Building resilience and reducing vulnerabilities to climate change effects is therefore vital. Portugal is strongly involved in the global effort on renewable energies, and we believe that low-carbon development strategies are a key feature of sustainable growth and will significantly contribute to attaining the MDGs. To this end, Portugal remains committed to developing a competitive, knowledge-based, inclusive and eco-efficient global economy, contributing to the implementation of adaptation and mitigation actions, in particular in small island developing States, least developed countries and on the African continent, in the framework of the fast start financing that was agreed upon in Copenhagen. Another important challenge is the financial and economic crisis and its impact and consequences, especially, but not only, for the least developed countries. The effects of this are of various types, from trade to investment and financing. Nevertheless, I would like to particularly highlight the deep structural changes that affect the way we look upon economic growth and development over the next few decades. It is evident that a new paradigm for our global economy is needed, and such a paradigm cannot be dissociated from greater justice and equity in the use of resources and in the distribution of wealth. In this context, the MDGs constitute an essential framework for our common future. This must remain uppermost in our minds as we all strive to reach the MDG targets by 2015, and that is why mobilizing financial resources, domestic or external, traditional or innovative, is essential at this stage. While keeping our aid pledges and working for increased quantity and quality of official development assistance, Portugal supports the ongoing work on innovative sources of financing, and we join our voice to others before us in calling for the creation of a new tax on financial transactions, a tax allocated to development, including the fight against climate change. My final word goes to the role of the emerging economies and new actors in cooperation in achieving the MDGs by 2015. Due to its own historic experience, Portugal is particularly well-positioned to understand the spirit of solidarity that should guide cooperation with developing countries. The current aid architecture is evolving, quite rightly, to incorporate the contributions and opportunities that arise from the involvement of emerging economies. We stand ready to engage in a constructive dialogue with them, open to the concerns of the poorest countries. Let me assure you that Portugal continues to be fully committed to the MDGs. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French): I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Jorge Lara Castro, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Paraguay.

Today’s world is truly in a process of transition towards a new world order. Global change is accelerating, and the financial, energy, social and environmental crises have revealed the contradictions, conflicts and strategic interests of the great Powers, as well as the weaknesses of dependent countries and countries of intermediate development. There is talk of strategic alliances at various levels within these interdependent relationships and of failed States. Paraguay is among those nation States that, over the course of history, have fallen prey to various factors that made them vulnerable, given their geographic situation and historical experiences. As a landlocked State, Paraguay has been weakened by a historic model of socio-economic development based on the looting of its natural and strategic resources and administered through relations of structural dependence. Our country has one of the largest freshwater reserves, the Guaraní aquifer, and many other valuable water resources that we share with our neighbours. These strategic resources require genuine energy integration to foster capacities to produce clean and renewable energy on a fair and equitable basis for all. Paraguay’s goal is to focus on sustainable development that will meet our present needs without compromising the resources available of future generations. Paraguay believes that sustainable human development is possible to the extent that the planet itself is sustainable. Living in harmony with Mother Earth must be an imperative for all peoples and a historic responsibility towards future generations. At the international level, globalization poses a challenge to countries like Paraguay, and all the more so in a world of unequal relationships where developed economies weigh heavily on developing economies. This situation, at the dawn of the twenty-first century, entails various responsibilities but only one common objective — that of sharing the effort to uphold the humanity of our peoples. For Paraguay, which has been a Member of this Organization from the outset, and in particular for the current Government of President Fernando Lugo, the principles and purpose of maintaining international peace and security, established in the Charter of the United Nations, are crucial. We are certain that only an effective multilateral discussion of such problems as the fight against poverty, pandemics, terrorism, international organized crime and inequalities among nations, as well as the growing threat of the loss of cultural identities and other global threats, such as climate change, will enable us to design and implement an agenda to promote these important goals. It is therefore politically important for global leaders to heighten their awareness of the need to address these challenges and commitments. A key component and catalyst for the renewed United Nations agenda are the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which we adopted 10 years ago as a synthesis of all the proposals made at our high-level summits of the 1990s. Through these Goals, we salvaged and renewed the commitments, values and principles of our United Nations. Meeting the Millennium Development Goals and implementing the necessary actions to do so will require, first, cooperation, solidarity and integration; secondly, international social justice; and thirdly, human rights and democracy. Thus, the Millennium Development Goals recall the commitments made both at the level of our Governments as well as within the United Nations development system. It is thus, too, that we conclude that declarations are not sufficient, but that we must further define these commitments on the basis of specific responsibilities and give them substance. The noble Millennium Development Goals represent the broadest consensus ever achieved by humankind on how to improve the quality of life of the citizens of the world over a short period of time. Today, that time is shorter than ever, as we are now counting down the days. Only 1,825 remain. Paraguay reaffirms its commitment to continuing to strive to meet the established Goals. By shouldering its responsibility for the MDGs, our Government has worked in a participatory manner with representatives of the public sector, the private sector and civil society in developing a draft public policy on social development for the period 2010-2020. The 2020 plan, known as “Paraguay for All”, provides the guiding framework of our current Government’s social policies, and is based on four main elements. The first concerns universal access to social goods and services provided by the State, and is founded on the recognition of the peoples’ right to universal access to quality social goods and services. The second element addresses the poor, excluded and vulnerable population, whose access to universal social services has diminished. In designing specific policies, we seek to progressively ensure greater equality in access to social services. The third element provides for an inclusive development model that encourages social and economic equity among the population. The final element is aimed at strengthening institutions and improving the effectiveness of social investment. With regard to the progress made and challenges encountered in meeting the Millennium Development Goals in Paraguay, next year we will celebrate our bicentennial. We hope to celebrate that important event with a significant reduction in the level of extreme poverty, pursuant to prior commitments made by our country’s previous representatives. However, as a result of the State’s lengthy periods of delinquency, we have accrued a significant social deficit in Paraguay. In Paraguay, we refer to almost two and a half decades — the 1980s, 1990s and part of the first decade of the twenty-first century — as lost decades. Our gross domestic product decreased during that time and social policy was more a matter of rhetoric than of real action on the ground. As a result, our attainment of the Goals has been delayed. Both Government and civil society have understood the validity of the arguments favouring more and better social investment to eradicate poverty. The underpinning ethical argument is that the universalization of human rights must constitute the bedrock of a nation that seeks to ensure equity and equality for its citizens. The political argument is that social investment is an instrument to promote social cohesion and democratic governance. Finally, the economic argument is that social investment is a powerful tool for economic and productive growth in the medium and the long terms. It is therefore important for developed countries to cooperate with developing countries through innovative financing mechanisms. While the MDGs are more than the work of Governments, we are convinced that by 2013, when our Government will have completed its mandate, we will have brought change to Paraguay as it becomes a more prosperous, equitable and sustainable country with a comprehensive social policy focused on territorial coverage and enshrined in a stronger, institutionalized and transparent public administration that responds to needs and demands without exception. The change to which we are committed will include people living in poverty in the development process in order to improve their quality of life, generate comprehensive development, promote and build capacity to facilitate access to employment, eradicate illiteracy, and guarantee food security and universal access to health care, primary schooling, safe water and basic sanitation. In turn, as a priority matter, we shall establish mechanisms to guarantee the rights of children, adolescents and indigenous peoples. With respect to education, our explicit commitment is to achieve an illiteracy rate of only 1.9 per cent by 2013. We shall complete the process launched at the advent of democracy in Paraguay in the field of access to education, and in the coming years we will focus on improving the quality of education. In the area of gender equality and empowerment of women, we can say that there have been highs and lows. We have almost achieved gender equality in basic and secondary education, but with respect to the labour market and women in political positions, there is still room for improvement in order to achieve greater equality between men and women. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss): I am sorry, but speeches are timed to be five minutes. You have spoken for 15 minutes now, and there are many other interventions.

I will finish in two minutes. (spoke in Spanish) In the context of our Government’s programme, civil society organizations are crucial in supporting the policies of structural reform and promoting social conditions that will guarantee fundamental rights through the dovetailing of the Government’s work with civil society. With respect to the environment, at the upcoming sixteenth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to take place in Cancún, Mexico, our negotiators will again, as they did Copenhagen, undertake the urgent and overdue mission of making real change for the future of humankind. To conclude, we wish to emphasize that by 2013, the Government of President Fernando Lugo Méndez, through the public policy for social development known as 2020 Plan: Paraguay for All, to which I referred to at the start of my statement, has committed to deploying its greatest efforts to meet and overcome our historic challenges and to fulfil our commitments made at the Millennium Summit. Having learned from the errors of the past and now building on present achievements, we firmly believe that we are sowing fertile fields so that our future generations will inherit a better world. The Co-Chair (Mr. Treki): May I remind speakers that statements should not exceed five minutes. We have too many speakers on our list. (spoke in Arabic) I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Paul Badji, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Senegal.

Assessing the progress made in implementing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) reminds us once again that our ambitious mission to build a world free of the scourges of poverty and famine has not yet been accomplished. In the unusual current circumstances, where the combined effects of the recent crises continue to burden the economies of developing countries and our States’ capacities, this assessment recalls us to our duty to act as soon as possible in the final stretch towards 2015. It is not too late to transform the act of faith symbolized by the MDGs into positive and tangible results that will benefit all, including the wealthy countries. My country remains committed to that path and intends to pursue bold reforms and the implementation of necessary policies to improve the daily living conditions of its people, in particular the most vulnerable groups. That is why Senegal has made progress in such areas as the fight against malnutrition, education, combating HIV and other infectious diseases, access to drinking water and sanitation, the empowerment of women and gender equality. However, the context of the global crises could further compromise these achievements and have a negative impact on attaining the goals. In other words, many challenges remain despite the non-negligible achievements made. Thus, in Senegal we have undertaken to refocus our efforts and prioritize the path to success. This has led the Government to pursue three areas for priority intervention in order to promote development while bearing in mind new challenges. The first priority is to pursue lasting economic growth. It is clear that while we must strive to meet social demands, we must also invest in growth in order to facilitate young people’s access to employment and enable a fairer distribution of income and services, including to those most socially disadvantaged. We have therefore designed our strategy and economic development guidelines for the long term, focusing in particular on investment in human resources, high- quality major infrastructure and the promotion of a climate conducive to unleashing private initiative. We seek to consolidate growth in order to accelerate the creation of wealth and sustainable jobs, particularly for women and young people, and to strengthen the bases of long-term development, supported by a far-sighted policy of good governance and the rule of law. Our second priority is to develop and modernize agriculture in order to eliminate the vulnerability and lack of stability that afflict the millions of individuals who work in that sector. Since three-fourths of the population depends on this sector, increased investments will be crucial to raising productivity, winning the fight against hunger and food security, and maintaining employment in rural areas, thus ensuring farmers a permanent livelihood and limiting their exodus. Our major agricultural programme for food and abundance, known as Goana — which was launched in 2008 and for which we, following the success of previous years, have started the third phase of its implementation — reflects our desire to foster a rural revolution. It will make agriculture a lever for the economic promotion of farmers, in particular through their unionization and the establishment of rural banks, which will enable them to access credit and financing. Our third priority involves the acceleration and expansion of the provision of basic social services, education, and, above all, health care, with a particular focus on strengthening health care systems and universal access to health care services. This is a prerequisite to meeting the challenge of eradicating infectious diseases and achieving the Goals of reducing maternal and child mortality rates, as well as improving the food and nutrition situation. Here, I solemnly commend the excellent initiative of the Secretary-General, who had the ingenious idea of submitting to us the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health. The Strategy will certainly be an important benchmark for our collective effort to inspire the future work of States as we round this final bend. Clearly, we have no option but to work together to maintain our positive achievements and, above all, to overcome the difficulties through the pooled, concerted and unified efforts of the international community as a whole, underpinned by a global agenda in which each person can play his or her own role. It goes without saying that in this exercise, the support of wealthy countries and respect for commitments undertaken in the context of various partnerships will be critical to removing the obstacles that hamper the achievement of the MDGs. In this great endeavour, Senegal is more determined than ever to work with all its partners for the achievement of the better world to which we are so looking forward. The Co-Chair (Mr. Treki) (spoke in Arabic): We shall now hear brief reports of the Chairs of the round tables. We begin with the Co-Chair of round table 1, Her Excellency Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina (Bangladesh): We concluded the deliberations of round table 1 on 20 September. At the outset, I would like to thank the heads of delegations, civil society, experts and academia for their invaluable contribution to our discussion. The round table was a huge success. Before summarizing our deliberations, I would also ask Member States to set a new goal for the implementation of what we have decided in our deliberations. We agree that the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and in particular the eradication of poverty, hunger and malnutrition and the promotion of gender equality, is essential to our economic and social development efforts. Concrete national and international actions and investments are needed to accelerate progress towards achieving the Goals and to strengthen global partnerships for development. Member States commit to pursuing gender- sensitive policies for inclusive and equitable economic growth and sustainable development. Priority attention must be given to alleviating the adverse effects on the poor, especially women, of the multiple global crises and the challenge of climate change. Actions must be comprehensive and enhance national ownership of development processes. We commit to mobilizing private and public sector resources, scaling-up good practices and strengthening national and local capacity for service delivery and infrastructure development. Such actions should be supported by increased development assistance and reinforced by gender-sensitive monitoring and accountability mechanisms at the national level. We recognize that the promotion of gender equality and women’s human rights is a key driver for achieving all MDGs and has a multiplier effect across all sectors. We commit to the elimination of discrimination and violence against women, the full and equal participation of women at all levels of decision-making processes, and the accelerated implementation of gender-responsive laws and policies. We agree that broad-based employment policies for full and productive employment and decent work for all are central to our responses. Priority attention should focus on promoting job-intensive recovery. This will require targeted labour market support and skills development, including programmes that enhance the full and equal participation of women in the formal economy. Ensuring universal access to social services and comprehensive systems of social protection at the national level is critical to reducing poverty, hunger and inequality. Innovative and inclusive financial services, such as microfinancing and microcredit, must be made available to the poor, especially women. We resolve to pay much greater attention to improving agricultural productivity and ensuring food and nutrition security in developing countries, especially for those living in extreme poverty and hunger. Coordinated responses to the food crisis should focus on addressing food price volatility and on adopting measures encouraging greater resilience to shocks. At the global and national levels, efforts must be redoubled to achieve greater investment in agriculture. We must invest in smallholder agriculture through improved infrastructure, better access to markets, imports, financial services, skills, technology and reserves. It is critical to ensure that women and marginalized groups have full and equal access to land and property. Since this is a summary statement, I will not add any further points here. What I will emphasize is the realization of what we have resolved. Let us make poverty and gender inequality history. To that end, we must make history today by adopting the recommendations of round table 1 in the outcome document of the plenary. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French): I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Gert Rosenthal, Permanent Representative of Guatemala to the United Nations, who will make a presentation on behalf of the Co-Chair of round table 2.

I have the honour to present, on behalf of the President of Guatemala and the Prime Minister of Kuwait, some of the highlights of the discussions in round table 2 on meeting the goals of health and education. The numerous statements covered diverse points of view and issues, and no attempt has been made to distinguish areas that gave rise to agreement from those that did not. First, it was underscored that education and health go hand in hand. For instance, it is said that a one-year increase in women’s education translates into an almost 10-per cent drop in infant mortality. Second, noting that education and health are central to poverty reduction and to achieving all the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), most speakers stressed that those two sectors must be closely coordinated in national development plans. Third, it was emphasized that inequities in health and education are a barrier to attaining the MDGs. It was therefore felt that improving access to quality education and health services — especially for women and girls, the residents of rural and remote areas, the vulnerable and poorest populations, and persons with disabilities — is crucial to overcoming disparities within countries. Fourth, since improvements in health depend on multi-pronged strategies, many speakers expressed their commitment to strengthening health systems; improving access to good health care and quality, community-based sanitation interventions; increasing access to clean water and sanitation; and expanding immunization coverage. Fifth, in general, speakers made it clear that important progress has been made towards achieving universal primary education, stressing that many countries have passed the 90-per cent enrolment threshold. It must also be recognized, however, that more attention must be paid to expanding access to all levels of education, from early childhood to higher levels, particularly for girls, and to improving the quality of education, including by improving teacher training. Sixth, one point frequently raised was the need to increase funding for reducing maternal, child and newborn mortality, and for achieving universal reproductive health by 2015, including by expanding access to family planning, emergency obstetric care and skilled birth attendants. The Secretary-General’s Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health was warmly welcomed. Seventh, it was suggested that partnerships are the way forward, and that we must continue working together, mobilizing stakeholders at all levels and across sectors in order to align with and support Government-led processes, to develop and implement comprehensive national health and education plans. It was also widely recognized that mobilizing sufficient resources remains a challenge. National and international financial commitments must be honoured, despite the current financial crisis. The need to meet the Abuja targets for health, to support large-scale initiatives such as Muskoka and Education for All, and to explore innovative financing mechanisms was frequently mentioned. Several delegations called for the replenishment of the Global Fund. Lastly, the announcement of specific commitments over the next five years was welcomed. These include the World Bank’s pledge to devote more than $600 million to maternal and child health, plus an additional $750 million to education, as well as Germany’s offer to provide €400 million to combat maternal and child mortality. The Co-Chair (Mr. Treki) (spoke in Arabic): I now give the floor to Her Excellency Mrs. Etta Banda, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Malawi, who will make a statement on behalf of the Co-Chair of round table 3.

I present to members the summary of discussions held at the summit’s round table 3, entitled “Promoting sustainable development”. Member States acknowledged the interdependence of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and affirmed that achieving them would demand a more balanced and coherent approach that integrates the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. We reiterate that eradicating poverty and enhancing the quality of life for the poorest and most vulnerable remains the overarching development objective. Sustainable development is the answer to the MDGs. Social, economic and environmental policies need to be better integrated, including through a green economy approach. Linkages between environment and development are therefore critical and must be strengthened in preparation for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in 2012. National ownership of the Development Goals is crucial, and a commitment to improved governance essential to more effectively promoting integrated development planning, ensuring broad participation among major stakeholders, and strengthening institutions and national capacities to more effectively deliver services. Greater attention should be given to national sustainable development strategies to promote transformation towards sustainable development. Water plays a central role in ensuring increased food production to combat hunger, reduce mortality, facilitate education and promote gender equality and the empowerment of women. Member States acknowledged the importance of the supply side to progress in implementing the MDGs, and agreed that it must be adequately addressed if all is to go well. Member States committed to enhancing water access and affordability and to improving sanitation services. Integrated water resources management is central to ensuring sustainable and equitable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. We resolved to pay greater attention to sustainable urbanization. Cities must become environmentally sustainable, socially responsible and economically productive. Improving the lives of slum- dwellers is essential to achieving the MDGs. We therefore commit to addressing the most fundamental rights of slum-dwellers, including access to water and sanitation, adequate shelter, nutrition, health care and education. We underscore the urgent need for investment in our ecological infrastructure, including ecosystems and biodiversity, taking into account the importance of natural resources, including forests, in combating climate change. We welcome the progress in integrating the ecosystem approach, biodiversity and water resources to ensure environmental sustainability. We also welcome support for the incorporation of sustainable forest management into national development plans through fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to Governments. We reaffirm that strong global partnership and the support of the donor community and development institutions are vital to progress in achieving the MDGs. Such support should be mobilized to promote the transfer of skills, improve national capacities to deliver services, and facilitate technology transfer. International support should be based on priorities identified at the national level. The improved coordination of existing initiatives is crucial at all levels. Finally, we recognize the importance of peace and stability as essential preconditions for sustainable development and the improvement of the quality of life for all. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French): The Assembly will now hear an address by the Co- Chair of round table 4, Her Excellency Ms. Tarja Halonen, President of the Republic of Finland. President Halonen: It is an honour to present, on behalf of His Excellency Mr. Danilo Türk, President of Slovenia, and myself, a summary of the rich discussions on emerging issues and evolving approaches. I also convey our warm thanks to all the participants. First, regarding climate change, participants shared the view that the transition to a green economy with high growth and reduced greenhouse gas emissions is both necessary and feasible. Several participants welcomed the launch of the High-level Panel on Global Sustainability in that regard. Several participants stressed that adaptation and mitigation will require additional financial assistance, beyond existing official development assistance commitments, sharing technological know-how and building institutional capacity. It was noted that public financing is not enough to cover adaptation and mitigation needs, but the contribution of the business sector, as well as non-governmental organizations, is required. The urgent need to increase access to modern and sustainable energy services was highlighted. Secondly, a more comprehensive approach to the global financial and economic crisis was called for. With a fragile and uneven recovery and the threat of an unprecedented global jobs crisis, participants called for a rethink of the current economic development paradigm. The immediate challenge is to implement appropriate policies to cement the recovery, strengthen resilience against future shocks, and gradually withdraw stimulus policies. A long-term solution to the crisis will require addressing its root causes, including reviewing regulatory oversight, continuing the ongoing reform of the financial and economic system, and placing job creation and decent work at the heart of macroeconomic policies. Providing basic social protection floors is an important element in combating poverty and growing inequalities within countries. While emerging from the crisis may take time, job creation is an immediate and critically important task. The need to fully tap the potential of civil society and the private sector, especially in providing innovative solutions, was stressed. Thirdly, the importance of food security has very often been underestimated. Medium- and long-term investment needs to be scaled up to feed a growing world population and to improve rural livelihoods. Such investment should focus on smallholder farmers, particularly women, to enable them to build profitable businesses and to promote access to nutritious food for the most vulnerable. There are also other major emerging issues, such as enhancing accountability on all sides and increasing policy coherence, which require our urgent collective attention. The human and social dimensions of policy choices and indices are easily forgotten. For example, economic growth helps people best if it increases jobs. Other issues emphasized include the nexus between conflict and development, energy systems and energy access, cross-border movements of people seeking jobs and a better life, and the importance of exploring innovative sources of financing while honouring official development assistance commitments. Also, the fact that preventing and responding early to conflict is less expensive, and more human, than crisis management, was mentioned many times. In summary, the overall sense of the round table was that there is an urgent need for a new development paradigm, with environmental sustainability and social inclusion at its centre. A true partnership and a coordinated approach are needed among all stakeholders: Governments, civil society, research and academia, and the private sector. There was a broadly held view that the United Nations has a key role to play in a rapidly changing and interdependent world with many evolving challenges that call for global responses. The Co-Chair (Mr. Treki) (spoke in Arabic): I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Winston Baldwin Spencer, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Co-Chair of round table 5.

I am honoured to present a summary of the discussion in round table 5, on addressing the needs of the most vulnerable. It was observed that the promotion and protection of human rights is a prerequisite for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). We must spare no effort to advance equality and non- discrimination with regard to gender, age, disability, ethnicity, geographic location and HIV/AIDS status. It was noted that to answer the question of who the most vulnerable are, and what the causes of their vulnerability are, we need more disaggregated data. The representatives of small island developing States and landlocked countries pointed out their special vulnerability to climate change, natural disasters and high energy and transportation costs. To fight climate change, more investment should be made in mitigation and adaptation mechanisms, reducing dependency on fossil fuels and increasing investment in renewable energies. The international community is urged to assist vulnerable countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States in addressing their specific needs and development challenges. Urgent action must focus on effective aid and trade policies, the fulfilment of all official development assistance commitments and further mobilization of financial resources for development, including capacity-building and technology transfer. Countries in conflict and post- conflict situations are especially vulnerable, and are in need of renewed focus on peacebuilding, including consolidation of State institutions and assistance to internally displaced people and refugees. Member States recognize that ensuring equitable access to economic opportunities and social services for the poor and those in vulnerable situations is vital for the achievement of the MDGs. We should devote adequate resources to tackling basic sources of vulnerability, such as lack of access to adequate nutrition, education, skills training, health services and decent jobs. More efforts are needed to ensure access to financial services, including microfinancing, credit and insurance for all, especially those in vulnerable situations. Governments also underscore that comprehensive systems of social protection are essential to reducing inequality and vulnerability, to achieving development goals and to shielding those most vulnerable in times of economic crisis. Some also noted that conditional and unconditional cash transfers can be effective in reducing vulnerability. More international cooperation is needed to support policies and programmes aimed at reducing the vulnerability of people living with HIV/AIDS, through prevention, treatment, care and support strategies, including special efforts to address stigmatization and discrimination. Vulnerable groups, especially women and minorities, should be empowered and represented in national parliaments and included in the development process. Vulnerability in the context of peace negotiations was also noted. The special needs of Palestinian refugees merit special attention. In conclusion, we all agree that, without addressing the special needs of the most vulnerable countries and people, the MDGs cannot be achieved. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French): I now give the floor to Her Excellency Mrs. Tiina Intelmann, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Estonia, who will make a presentation on behalf of the Co-Chair of round table 6.

On behalf of the President of Estonia, Co-Chair of round table 6, I am pleased to provide a summary of the round table discussions on widening and strengthening partnerships. It was acknowledged that progress has been made in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially in the area of reducing extreme poverty. However, it was also acknowledged that the recent global climate and food crisis has had an adverse impact on development. Effective partnerships are now more crucial to achieving the MDGs, and there was commitment to enhancing the global partnership for development and accelerating efforts to deliver and fully implement existing commitments, as called for in MDG 8. It was emphasized that responsibility lies with both developed and developing countries. Developed countries were called on to support development by meeting their commitments, as set by the Gleneagles meeting of the Group of 8, the United Nations targets of 0.7 per cent of gross national income (GNI) by 2015 and 0.5 per cent of GNI by 2010, with clear and accountable timelines. In addition to traditional development cooperation, the increasing importance of South-South cooperation was stressed, and the fact that development has become more globalized was welcomed. In this sense, the role of civil society and the private sector, through greater investment, non-governmental organizations and local communities, was acknowledged. Participants emphasized that increasing the effectiveness and quality of aid, including reducing the fragmentation of aid, in accordance with the Paris Declaration and the Accra Agenda, was most essential. Ultimately, Governments are responsible for their own development. National strategies and leadership, effective policies for reaching the poorest, increased domestic revenues, promoting growth and strengthening capacity-building were mentioned as critical to development. The call was made to treat development as a human right for all. The role of women, with an equal voice and under equal conditions, was also mentioned as essential for long-term development. Another precondition for effective aid and development was a stable and secure environment. Therefore, the rule of law, the fight against crime, corruption, terrorism and trafficking in illegal drugs, weapons and human beings were presented as most essential if we are to have accountable and effective institutions. A fair and equitable multilateral trading system remains critical to strengthening the global partnership for development by ensuring market access through full and unconditional, duty-free and quota-free treatment for exports originating in least developed countries. The timely and development-oriented conclusion of the Doha Round of trade negotiations would be essential. It was recognized that many countries are in debt distress and that debt initiatives must be expanded beyond the poorest countries and strengthened to strive for more broadly applicable sovereign debt work-out mechanisms. The special needs of small island developing States and least developed countries were recognized, especially their vulnerability to external shocks, for example natural disasters, and to the negative effects of climate change. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French): The General Assembly will now turn to draft resolution A/65/L.1, entitled “Keeping the promise: united to achieve the Millennium Development Goals”. We shall now proceed to consider the draft resolution. In connection with draft resolution A/65/L.1, I wish to put on record the following statement of financial implications, in accordance with rule 153 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly. Under the terms of the draft resolution’s operative paragraph, the General Assembly would adopt the outcome document of the High-level Plenary Meeting of the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals. In paragraph 77 (p) of the draft outcome document, heads of State and Government would commit themselves to accelerating progress in order to achieve Goal 7, including through working towards a successful United Nations conference on sustainable development in 2012. Further, in paragraph 79 of the draft outcome document, heads of State and Government would request the President of the sixty-eighth session of the General Assembly to organize a special event in 2013 to follow up on efforts made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. At the present time, there is no clarity on the scope, modalities, format and organization of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in 2012 and the special event in 2013 which could enable the Secretariat to determine the full potential financial implications for the biennium 2012- 2013. Once the General Assembly takes a specific decision at a later stage regarding the scope, modalities, format and organization of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development and the special event, the Secretary-General would at that time submit statements of programme budget implications to the General Assembly. The General Assembly will now take a decision on draft resolution A/65/L.1, entitled, “Keeping the promise: united to achieve the Millennium Development Goals”. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to adopt the draft resolution? The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French): I congratulate members on having adopted resolution 65/1. I should like to express sincere appreciation to His Excellency Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki, President of the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session and Co-Chair of this High-level Plenary Meeting, for his extraordinary efforts to make this Meeting a resounding success. He deserves a round of applause. My appreciation is also extended to Ambassador Carsten Staur of Denmark and Ambassador Paul Badji of Senegal, who have so ably and patiently conducted the discussions and complex negotiations in the informal consultations on draft resolution A/65/L.1, and to all Member States for their valuable contributions to the successful completion of the outcome document. I will reserve my substantive remarks for the closing of the meeting. I now yield the floor to His Excellency Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki, President of the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session and Co-Chair of the High- level Plenary Meeting. The Co-Chair (Mr. Treki) (spoke in Arabic): These past three days have shown a common spirit in the international community to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. Many of you, colleagues, have spoken of the progress you have made and the challenges that still confront you. But all of you agree that achieving the MDGs by 2015 is possible if we are committed to do so. The agreement which we adopted today as resolution 65/1 captures this commitment and the resolve of all members to achieve the Goals. It was the result of consensus, inclusiveness and openness and is an expression of the global partnership that is highlighted in MDG 8. It conveys the sense of urgency that only five years remain, and it outlines an agenda for action with specific ideas to ensure the implementation of our commitments to attain the Goals. This agreement recognizes that national ownership and responsibility for establishing priorities and the strategies needed to achieve them is the foundation of development. It is also highlights, throughout the resolution, that inclusive and equitable growth and the promotion of trade and investment are necessary for reaching the MDGs and sustaining poverty reduction. It recognizes women as important agents of development and that gender equality and the empowerment of women have a multiplier impact on all the Goals. It focuses on smallholder agriculture as an important basis for countries to develop the infrastructure to feed their own populations and for the poor to lift themselves out of poverty. It goes beyond the specific Goals on health and calls for the strengthening of health systems to deliver equitable, accessible and high-quality health care services to all. It also recognizes the special needs of Africa in achieving the MDGs, as well as those of least developed countries elsewhere. I would like to thank you all for your support and for your commitment to reaching this agreement before the start of the summit. We should be proud of this achievement; we need to use it as a common platform from which to strive to achieve all the MDGs by 2015. I cannot fail to express, on behalf of all participants, my thanks and appreciation to His Excellency Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as well as to members of the Secretariat and all of those working with it for the support that they have provided throughout our efforts to achieve these goals. In closing, I should like to express our appreciation to the President of the General Assembly for the efforts that he has made. I wish him every success in his future endeavours. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French): I now give the floor to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon.

My congratulations go to you all. This summit has laid a solid foundation for the progress we need in our quest to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the internationally agreed deadline of 2015. Through the participation of a large number of heads of State or Government and leaders from civil society, the private sector and the philanthropic community, this event has galvanized worldwide attention. The summit outcome document (resolution 65/1) sends a clear sign that you remain committed to the Goals even in a difficult international environment. Special thanks go to His Excellency Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki, President of the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session, His Excellency Mr. Joseph Deiss, President of the General Assembly at its sixty- fifth session, and the Co-Chairs of the round tables. I also commend the organizers and participants of the more than 80 side events, which added great vibrancy to the summit. The two co-facilitators — Ambassador Staur of Denmark and Ambassador Badji of Senegal — worked tirelessly over the past few months to reach agreement on the summit outcome document. Last but not least, I would like to express my deepest appreciation to the members of the MDG Advocacy Group. Their participation has brought a new level of hope to the MDG Action Agenda. (spoke in English) That Agenda gives us a road map for dramatically accelerating MDG progress. Many of you have already committed to launching new initiatives. Others have pledged to do so in the near future. I am very encouraged to note that many Member States used this summit to announce concrete support. All the key issues and ideas have been on the table, were part of the discussion and are now part of the outcome document. Jobs, and especially green jobs, inclusive and sustainable development, the need for a successful Doha Trade Round outcome, smallholder farming, food and nutrition security, inclusive financial services, women’s health and empowerment, a rejuvenated global partnership: all of this and more is where it should be: at the forefront of our attention as we ready ourselves for the push that begins now — this very minute. In the past, we have seen that when the spotlights are switched off, world attention quickly moves on to other issues. With only five years left, we cannot let that happen. Between now and 2015, we must make sure that promises made became promises kept. The consequences of doing otherwise are profound: death, illness, despair, needless suffering and lost opportunities for millions upon millions of people. We must hold each other accountable. The United Nations system and I personally will do our utmost to promote accountability on all sides. The MDGs were never meant to be a one-way street: something that rich countries do for poor ones. Quite the contrary. Our longstanding work for development in general has always been based on global solidarity, on a shared interest, a powerful sense of community and linked fates in an interconnected world. Much of our focus has been on 2015. In a rapidly changing international environment, we must also look ahead beyond the deadline for the Goals. And so, in response to your request in the outcome document, I intend to initiate a process that will result in a post- 2015 framework for the development work of the United Nations. I ask that all of you also consider the long term even as you intensify your efforts to achieve the goals in the next five years. Thank you again for your role in making this summit a great success. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French): I thank the Secretary-General for his statement. We shall now continue with the remaining speakers for the High-level Plenary Meeting. Given the lateness of the hour, I kindly remind speakers to respect the time limit that has been agreed. I now give the floor to the observer of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

With five years to go, with famine and poverty still rampant, we face a defining moment for development. Can we learn from the past, from both our successes and our failures, and improve on our historic commitment to achieve substantial progress by 2015? Over the past decade, hundreds of millions of people have emerged from poverty to build new lives based on their own energy and enterprise. But gains have been uneven within and across borders. Too many mothers and children still die during childbirth. Fragile and conflict-ridden States have yet to achieve a single Millennium Development Goal. In parts of Africa, 15 per cent of the children die under the age of five and only one out of three children attends secondary school. These children deserve a chance. Their parents deserve the tools to give their children a decent future. At this moment, the economic crisis, the threat of climate change and the volatility of food prices compound the challenge. If we are to achieve our goals by 2015, we urgently need to intensify our efforts. We need to ask: What can we do better? What can we do differently? First, we need to concert our efforts to provide new economic opportunities. Everyone has a stake in the lives of the poorest among us; everyone benefits from their enrichment. At the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), we pledge to welcome to our discussions all those who want to enlist economic forces on the side of the poor. To do that, developing countries must maintain the pace and scope of their far-reaching political and economic reforms that have created millions of opportunities for trade, jobs and enterprise. Developed countries must complement those efforts with stronger action in key areas such as taxation, combating illicit capital flows, keeping markets open and moving forward on multilateral trade liberalization for development. Each of us can build on our own experience and the experience of fellow countries in terms of what works and what does not. This approach forms the core of the OECD raison d’être: sharing best practices among all who want to identify and implement better policies for better lives. We should pay particular attention to critical areas like investment and trade and mobilizing domestic resources, advancing gender equality, educating girls and achieving environmentally sound growth. Secondly, technical cooperation and financial assistance will continue to play a vital role in meeting the needs of the poorest of the poor and helping Governments create the infrastructure, education and systems that people need to better their lives. It is vital that developed countries meet their aid targets. We cannot backslide on commitments at this critical juncture. We have highlighted some recent slippage, but we also note that assistance from developed countries has grown by 55 per cent over the last 10 years. South-South cooperation is also a vital factor now in development. Thirdly, we need to ensure the coherence of our efforts. In a rapidly changing international landscape, new donors, philanthropic organizations and innovative finance are playing a growing role. That is good. But as the global aid system grows more fragmented and complex, we urgently need to improve the coherence of all the different programmes and policies. The OECD has been leading in this regard through the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and the Accra Agenda for Action. In Korea next year, we can turn the OECD’s fourth High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness into a key platform to deliver on Millennium Goal 8, on building a global partnership for development. We also can improve the effectiveness of both domestic and private investment by putting in place comprehensive systems to prevent, detect and punish corruption, which steals from the poor and victimizes the most vulnerable. The OECD will continue to lead in this effort as well. The financial and economic crisis should not divert us from our aid commitments or our commitments to sound policy reforms. At the OECD we feel a special responsibility towards the Millennium Development Goals, which were born out of our 1996 International Development Goals, which were meant to crystallize international aid commitments into development objectives that could be measured and monitored. And measurement and monitoring is, precisely, one of our central responsibilities. But beyond that, we are committed to a broad range of efforts, with a broad range of partners, to distil and promote international best practices and to support effective policy based on the experience of our current membership and that of the broader community of nations. We will work with partners to integrate the development agenda into all aspects of our work — for example, as we look at finance flows, taxation, private sector development, governance and gender issues. Only with better coordination, better assistance and better policy joined together can we progress towards achieving the Goals by 2015 and honour our commitment to the world’s poorest, who struggle so hard to make their lives better. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French): I now give the floor to the observer of the International Organization for Migration.

When the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were conceived 10 years ago, there was no mention of migration. And I think that this in itself tells a story, because at that point migration was not yet on the global scene. In fact, there were only 150 million migrants at that time. Today, at the 10-year mark, there are more people on the move than at any other time in recorded history: 214 million international migrants, including 12 million refugees, and 740 million internal migrants — in other words, a total of one billion people on the move, or roughly one in every seven human beings. Migration cuts across most, if not all, of the MDGs. Let me share several examples. One example is migrant remittances, which touch MDGs 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6. Migrant remittances — in other words, the money sent home — help reduce poverty. Migrant remittances provide families in countries of origin with additional, often vital, income. Migrant remittances are directly linked to the achievement of ending poverty and hunger — MDG 1. The official remittance flows to developing countries last year was $316 billion. That is twice the totality of overseas development aid. It is roughly equal to the annual foreign direct investment and it is equal to the gross domestic product (GDP) of several industrialized nations. For at least a dozen countries, migrant remittances represent 30 per cent of annual GDP. There is another type of remittance called “social remittances”. In other words, in addition to the money that comes back, there are also skills, knowledge and experience. These foster innovation, trigger learning processes, build networks and facilitate the transfer of knowledge and technology to countries of origin. The second example is the feminization of migration, which touches directly MDG 3. Women are increasingly migrating independently of family, or as the breadwinner, thereby playing a part in MDG 3 — promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women. Nearly half of the world’s migrants today are women. Female migration is challenging gender stereotypes and leading to greater independence. However, migration can also pose obstacles to the achievement of gender equality. Women face an entire set of issues: vulnerability along the path to their new life and trafficking and smuggling of female migrants, as well as the lack of access to health or legal services. The third example is environmental sustainability. MDG 7 can serve as an adaptation strategy for communities vulnerable to the effects of environmental degradation. In several countries, migrants are using the savings and skills they have acquired abroad to address environmental degradation in their homeland. The final example is migration partnerships, which addresses MDG 8. The development of partnerships through diaspora communities across the globe is fostering development in their home countries through investments and knowledge and technology transfers. Partnership is pivotal to developing more accessible formal channels for remittance transfers and beneficial trade linkages. Let me conclude quickly. Migration is one of humankind’s oldest freedoms. Migration has long been the individual’s poverty reduction strategy. Migration is a powerful demonstration of a person’s right to development. Migration will continue to influence and shape development prospects and the MDGs in the years ahead. However, we will need to work closely together to mitigate the potential negative effects of migration on development, and we will need to work together to realize migration’s full potential — the potential to advance human development and the MDGs. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French) I now give the floor to the observer of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

In the interest of time I will be reading only a few paragraphs of my presentation, and the full text will be circulated tomorrow. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and its 186 member national societies are fully committed to contribute effectively towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. The International Federation, its member national societies and community-based volunteers are a unique bridge between Governments, civil society and vulnerable people. With their skills, compassion and unrivalled local knowledge, Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers can reach and transform the lives of those most in need, especially those facing discrimination and living on the margins of society. I have been visiting many national societies and talking to their dedicated staff and volunteers. I have witnessed the strength of their commitment to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, and I have seen the important work done at the community level. We have delivered on these commitments within our mandate, experience and expertise, and we will continue to do so. We will continue to strive to achieve excellence in our well-known role as the world’s leading actor in humanitarian action and disaster response. In 2009 alone, the Red Cross and Red Crescent reached 13.5 million people in 113 countries with our disaster preparedness and risk reduction programmes. From experience, we believe that the professional estimate that one dollar spent on risk reduction saves four dollars in response is true. We will also continue to build on our strengths in established community service delivery, and we resolve to do more to promote development at the community level by preventing and reducing the underlying causes of vulnerability. Our world is changing continuously, and we face many entwined challenges. Food insecurity, disasters, climate change, poverty and rapid urbanization are today’s major humanitarian challenges, which are also impacted by today’s social and economic challenges. On the positive side, minds and attitudes are also changing. Communication and information technology is having a great influence, especially on the way young people think and go about doing things, as we learn from our young volunteers. By utilizing the power of communication and information technology we can change minds and attitudes and thus overcome some of the intractable barriers to progress, including those that are social, cultural and behavioural. Young people are leading the changes in their communities, and we need to empower them. Last but not least, I would like to take this opportunity to extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation for Member States’ continued support and confidence in the work of the staff and volunteers of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement around the world. We attach great importance to this unique and distinctive relationship between the components of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and States. At the same time, we emphasize that our commitment to our fundamental principles, including independence, neutrality and impartiality, provides the best available means to gain the confidence of all in order to have access to those in need. We also attach great importance to our partnerships with other humanitarian actors, including the United Nations and other international organizations, non-governmental organizations and civil society, as well as with the private sector. Such partnerships are essential to address effectively the needs of vulnerable people worldwide, in the spirit of working together for humanity. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French): I now give the floor to the observer of the International Olympic Committee.

On behalf of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), I thank the General Assembly and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for giving the IOC the opportunity to contribute more effectively, through sports, to the important work of the United Nations as a Permanent Observer. The Assembly’s decision to grant observer status to our organization was a resounding acknowledgement by Member States and the international community as a whole of the positive power of sports. The additional recognition of sports in the Outcome Document of this summit (resolution 65/1) is another cause for our appreciation and inspiration. I am here today to contribute to the discussion on the role of sports in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). We are now just five years away from the deadline set by the United Nations for achieving the Goals. Time is short and the list of needs is still long. The International Olympic Committee shares the Assembly’s sense of urgency. Many of the Committee’s development projects are closely aligned with the MDGs. We are working hard to eradicate poverty and extreme hunger by using sports to support community development and school food programmes in Africa and Asia. In May, the International Olympic Committee opened the first Olympic Youth Development Centre in Zambia. This innovative project addresses community needs by combining sports with education and health- care programmes. We are working to achieve universal primary education by collaborating with UNESCO and other relevant partners to provide education to children and also to youth of disadvantaged communities. We are supporting values-based education in Africa, in Asia, in Latin America, in the Caribbean islands and also in Oceania. The International Olympic Committee is also using sports to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. In this regard, we congratulate the United Nations for its decision to establish the entity UN Women. We look forward to working closely with the organization as soon as it is up and running. The goal of gender equality in and through sports is included in the Olympic Charter, the Olympic Movement’s guiding document. With the addition of more women’s events to the Olympic programme, women will participate in every sport at the next Olympic Games, to be held in London in 2012. The International Olympic Committee is contributing, to the fight against HIV/AIDS and malaria, as well as other, non-communicable diseases, through extensive education programmes in partnership with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, the World Health Organization, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and other partners from civil society. We are also working to ensure environmental sustainability by making sustainability an integral part of the planning process for the Olympic Games and other sports activities. In 1994 International Olympic Committee adopted the environment as the third pillar of the Olympic Movement, alongside sports and culture. The Committee is proud to be part of a global partnership for development. The Olympic Movement is composed of the International Olympic Committee, the International and National Sport Federations and the 205 National Olympic Committees. They are all using the power of sports to promote the MDGs in countries across the world and they cooperate to that end with all sectors, including Governments, United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, non-governmental organizations, the business community and civil society at large. While we indeed are doing our best, we are fully aware that more must and can be done. All of us in sports can and must do more. This is a clarion call to sports organizations and to the billions of sportspersons and their supporters and fans throughout the world to play their part fully. As it has done for more than a century now, the International Olympic Committee, and the Olympic Movement at large, will continue to look for new ways to use the power of sports to bring people together, to inspire them to be the best they can be, to encourage healthy lifestyles, to foster peace, to promote values- based education — in short, to make better citizens of our youth and the world a better place for all of us. Sport cannot solve all of the world’s problems, but it can help this honourable institution in its mission to serve and to save humanity. I thank the Assembly for advancing the causes of peace, development and human rights throughout the world. Thank you for recognizing the importance of sports in achieving the MDGs and for giving sports the opportunity to contribute to this noble agenda. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French): I now give the floor to the observer for the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance.

The Millennium Declaration (resolution 55/2) affirms that the United Nations will spare no effort to promote democracy. For the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance International (IDEA), as the only intergovernmental organization with a specific mandate to support democracy worldwide, it is significant that this world body draws the link between democracy and development. The rationale for that link is evident. For democracy to be genuinely sustainable, it must be owned and led by those whose development is at stake. Profound development, like democracy, can only be driven from within and below. For that to happen there is a need for open, inclusive, accountable structures for participation in society. Democracy serves the cause of development because it reinforces the social contract between citizens and decision-makers. It provides for the necessary democratic ownership of the development process. A critical but often weak link in ensuring democratic ownership is certain key political actors, notably political parties and parliaments. Too often they fail in their responsibility to capture citizens’ needs and aspirations and transform them into policies that can deliver on development. Too often they fail in their responsibility to hold the executive to account. And too often the international community fails in its responsibility to support the strengthening of such democratic accountability processes through existing development cooperation frameworks. If the next years of efforts to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are to be more successful, sustaining aid levels is not enough. Getting out of the global economic crisis is also not enough. If development is to be truly nationally owned, it requires more responsive national democratic politics. Responsive politics must include increased political participation of women. One of the intolerable democratic deficits worldwide that is also a barrier to human development is the continuing gross under- representation of women in politics. Fifteen years after from the Beijing target of 30 per cent representation by women in parliaments, only 24 parliaments worldwide have reached that target. Democratic principles of participation, inclusion, regular free and fair elections and an independent judiciary are more likely to bring about development gains than other systems of governance. Democratic participation supports development in three ways. First, elections empower people to articulate their interests. In elections governments will be held accountable if they do not attend to the needs of the poor. Secondly, democracy requires freedom of speech and association and thus facilitates transfer of information to the Government about the needs, aspirations and preferences of the poor. Thirdly, democratic Governments are more efficient in providing public goods such as education, health care, job training, a clean environment and, most critically, the rule of law. That is why democracy is the most desired and desirable form of governance. Democracy is good for development. The opposite is also true: development is good for democracy. In International IDEA’s experience it is critically important to support the integrity of electoral processes, the centrality of parliaments and political parties, and the effectiveness of sector-specific democratic dialogue for making sure that democracy delivers on key areas of human development such as health, education or community security. Our work also shows that the rich democracy- building experiences from the global South can contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between the quality of democracy over time and country-level performance on the MDGs. In conclusion, I reiterate International IDEA’s commitment to contributing to the achievement of the MDGs, in partnership with national, regional and global actors and to deepen our strategic partnership with the United Nations in that endeavour. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French): I now give the floor to the observer of the International Organization of la Francophonie.

Since September 2000, the International Organization of la Francophonie (OIF) has made the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) the guiding principle of the actions of all its missions. Since then it has contributed, to the extent that its means allow, to achieving the Goals with an approach that provides added value and effective solidarity. That approach is based on assisting member countries, including through sharing its rich wealth of experiences and good practices displayed in all four corners of our world. In working to achieve the MDGs, the OIF is working at the same time for the emergence of a sustainable institutional and political context based on a tripartite solidarity: solidarity among States, especially between the North and the South, solidarity among current generations within States, and solidarity everywhere towards future generations. All told, the approach of la Francophonie is part of a vision that takes into account the world’s diversity. It is based on a dialogue of cultures and recognizes that culture is a crucial component of human development and represents a source of identity, innovation and creativity for individuals and communities. It is also a factor for reconciliation and social cohesion. There has been progress in terms of implementing several MDGs in the francophone sphere and elsewhere in the developing world. Some countries are on the right path to achieve at least some of the MDGs by the 2015 deadline. However, it must be noted that despite efforts made and the tangible progress noted, achieving the MDGs remains out of reach in many regions, particularly in Africa. The road before us is long if we are to ensure that every single child in the human family enjoys his fundamental right to education and health care. Much remains to be done, be it with regard to education and health care for all or to eradicating poverty; whether it concerns gender equality or, more broadly, the emergence of a more fertile global partnership that is more resolutely based in solidarity, with renewed planetary governance that is fairer and more democratic. More than ever, these worrying observations require the collective, focused and ongoing attention of the international community in order to renew and increase the global efforts being made in terms of official development assistance, and to find and mobilize additional resources and innovative financing commensurate with a challenge that imperils the very survival of an entire branch of the human family. Finally, the review of the MDGs two-thirds of the way to their deadline highlights the need to find ways and means to improve synchronization of actions, targets and goals, and to adapt them to the diversity of situations and developments. With these improvements, and by taking into consideration cultural factors and access to energy, the MDGs must continue to be a vector for and a common thread of the renewed commitment of the international community to combating poverty and giving specific and measurable meaning to solidarity with the most disadvantaged. The renewal of the international commitment, which la Francophonie vigorously urges, is particularly necessary because the multifaceted financial, economic, energy and food crisis that has shaken the world for the past three years threatens to destroy the achievements that have been made since 2000. The crisis also threatens to destroy the praiseworthy efforts of the less developed countries, which will suffer, still more than others, the effects of the crisis. On the other hand, the environmental crisis, which will certainly and irreversibly exacerbate climate change and the erosion of biodiversity, is another source of concern, whose multiple impacts will ultimately result, if nothing serious is done everywhere, in the unfair aggravation of poverty, in particular in developing countries. This worrisome context therefore requires more commitment and more boldness in consolidating governance, both at the national and the international levels. The emergence of global governance is necessary; the need for regulation is more urgent and imperative than ever. While the establishment of the Group of Twenty can be considered to be progress with respect to the Group of Eight, much remains to be done to strengthen cooperation on the rules governing the world economy, allowing everyone to become active partners in an improved form of shared Government. In a word, we must ensure that all our efforts converge for managed globalization designed to sustainably inaugurate an era of responsibility and shared prosperity. As our Secretary General, Mr. Abdou Diouf, has affirmed, “by calling on the international community to implement its commitments, la Francophonie also shows its own determination to work along these lines, as has been proved already by the desire of its Heads of State and Government to address this question at the thirteenth summit of la Francophonie, which will take place next 22 to 24 October in Montreux, Switzerland”. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French): I now give the floor to the observer of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

I have the privilege of representing the world’s oldest and largest international conservation network, and speak on behalf of its 1,200 members — big and small, sovereign States and non- governmental organizations — which are all united by a common vision of a just world that values and conserves nature. At the turn of the millennium, world leaders made an unprecedented commitment to ensuring environmental sustainability and to making sustainable development an overarching framework for all development efforts. Participants may ask themselves what could possibly be the connection between a nature conservation organization and the global quest for economic growth and social progress that are enshrined in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has been working on the development paradigm for many years, especially since our 1980 World Conservation Strategy, which stressed the interdependence of conservation and development, thus being the first to give currency to the term “sustainable development”. The concept is now commonplace, but it seems as though, 10 years after nearly 200 nations agreed to integrate environmental sustainability into all major policy decisions, we are still trying to make the case for it rather than getting on with the actual task at hand. IUCN echoes the concerns of many in this Hall that, despite progress made in some areas and in some regions, the achievement of MDG 7 — and the MDGs overall — may be compromised. We have five years to make a difference. Groundbreaking research and practical experience on the ground tell us that the key to not just one but several MDGs may well be found in rethinking the relationship between biodiversity, ecosystems — or simply what nature provides — and human well-being. Food security and the livelihoods of the poor directly depend on functioning ecosystems like forests, mangroves and coastal areas. Global water and sanitation targets can be achieved only by sustaining ecosystems that ensure the supply of clear, safe water, whilst improved management of local watersheds can reduce child deaths from water-borne diseases. By providing sustainable energy alternatives we can reduce the time that children, especially girls, spend collecting firewood instead of studying. Empowering women to manage natural resources sustainably can contribute to improving food safety and security, as would alleviating the hardships of other vulnerable groups, especially children and indigenous peoples. Climate change, recognized as a threat and challenge for achieving development, is closely linked to the need for robust ecosystems. By acknowledging the role of healthy nature in extreme events such as droughts and floods, we improve our resilience and capacity to adapt to climate change. In other words, investing in nature is investing in development and, at the same time, investing in the achievement of the MDGs. The landmark study entitled “The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity” has gone a long way in helping us understand the contribution of nature to our well-being and put it in language that is understood by economists, business people, politicians and citizens worldwide. For example, tropical forests that provide livelihoods for over 1 billion of the world’s poorest people are being lost at an alarming rate. In addition, deforestation accounts for about 17 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, and halting deforestation would save some $3.7 trillion in terms of avoided greenhouse gas emissions. Fish provides the main source of protein for more than one-sixth of humanity. By redirecting the financial flows that currently drive most commercially valuable fish stocks to overexploitation, we could improve the performance of global fisheries by an estimated $50 billion annually. “The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity” has many, many more examples of this type. The achievement of the MDGs requires refocusing and redoubling efforts made by Governments and other actors, including civil society and the private sector. The opportunity is not lost, but a different approach, in which environmental sustainability is at the heart of development efforts, is desperately needed if we are to meet our commitments in five years’ time. Let us bring to the world a renewed leadership to realize sustainable development — for people, for nature and for the planet, our unique home. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French): I now give the floor to the observer of the Asian Development Bank.

The Asian and Pacific region encompasses nearly three- fifths of humankind. No global effort to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will succeed unless our region succeeds. With more than 500 million people having overcome poverty since 1990, the region’s target for reducing extreme income poverty is in sight. However, as home to two-thirds of the world’s poor, it still faces enormous challenges. Almost 2 billion people in the region still live without basic sanitation, and nearly half a billion without safe drinking water. Infant mortality in some countries is more than 10 times higher than in developed nations. In South Asia, illiteracy rates are among the highest in the world, slum-dwellers comprise 40 per cent of the urban population, and women are still deprived of the benefits of growth. The region’s environment faces daunting threats, including a decline in forest cover and the steady rise of greenhouse gas emissions. Recent catastrophic floods that have brought misery to millions highlight the need for stronger measures to counter climate- related vulnerabilities and better adapt to climate change. The MDGs represent a global compact to eradicate these deprivations and threats, and we must all do our part. National Governments must make growth more inclusive. They must provide better access to basic services and engage the private sector, civil society, and communities in order to help ensure better service delivery. They must expand basic infrastructure to provide access to electricity, roads and other essential services so that the poor can access health care, education and economic opportunities. And they must move quickly towards low-carbon growth. At the regional level, traditional donors and newly emerging ones alike can do more to help their less-developed neighbours. Expanding regional cooperation in the areas of trade, investment, knowledge and technology can also help bridge gaps in resources and capacities. While the region overall is progressing, many countries within Asia and the Pacific are falling behind. Linking those worse-off countries to larger subregional and regional markets will spur faster growth, create economic opportunities and facilitate the sharing of regional resources, such as energy and water. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is committed to strengthening regional and global partnerships to achieve the MDGs. We are increasing our support for roads, electricity, water, sanitation and education. We have established dedicated funds to promote environmentally sustainable growth and tackle climate change. Our financing for clean energy has grown to more than $1 billion a year, and we plan to double that to more than $2 billion per year by 2013. ADB’s projects in the areas of water and sanitation have benefited more than 130 million people in the past five years, and we plan to further increase our operations. Our school improvement projects are expected to benefit more than 22 million students in the next three years, and we also intend to scale up our assistance for education, which is one of our core areas of operation. The Asian and Pacific region represents the world’s best help for achieving the MDGs, but it cannot do it alone. The international community must, above all, live up to the commitment of the historic Millennium Declaration of 2000 (resolution 55/2). The Declaration promised a better life to millions of poor people in the Asian and Pacific region and across the globe. Our collective action today can make that promise a reality. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French): I now give the floor to the observer of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

The Sovereign Hospitaller Military Order of Malta appreciates the opportunity to address this High-level Plenary Meeting, and I shall be very brief. The Order would also like to congratulate the Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly on their wise guidance in organizing this important high-level event and for bringing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) directly into the spotlight that shines on the United Nations every September. The Order has continued to pledge and strengthen our cooperation with the United Nations on these issues, particularly in the fields of humanitarian assistance and sustainable development, and we reiterate that pledge today. The Order considers the Millennium Development Goals to be an example of the preferential option for the poor that we firmly believe in. Combating poverty, disease and suffering, regardless of race, religion or nationality, has been at the heart of the Order’s activities for 900 years. The Order’s 13,000 members, 80,000 permanent volunteers and professional medical staff, and 20,000 doctors, nurses and stretcher-bearers make up an exceptional network working in 120 countries. With respect to Goal 1, the Order is saddened by the dire situation of more than 1 billion people living in extreme poverty and hunger and by the inequities between and within countries. This is a scandal to humankind and one of the most significant challenges facing the world today. Extreme poverty and hunger are the cause, symptoms and effects of the issues the MDGs address, and progress on this Goal is most crucial. I would also like to state that, in our view, Goals 4, 5 and 6 are interconnected on every level. Failure on any one of them is likely to endanger progress on others. It is an inexcusable reality that five diseases — pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria, measles and HIV/AIDS — account for half the deaths of children under five. Low-cost prevention and treatment could save most of these children. I should also point, however, to bright spots. The Order’s Holy Family Maternity Hospital in Bethlehem will soon be delivering its 50,000th baby. In the 20 years since its first delivery, the Holy Family Hospital has gone from 1,000 births annually to more than 4,000. It is the only hospital of its kind in the West Bank. Its intensive care unit is the only one in the entire region. The hospital has facilitated Israeli- Palestinian cooperation in the medical field, and the Palestinian Ministry of Health has designated the Holy Family Hospital as a training centre for young doctors. We also immediately expanded our hospital in the North of Haiti when the horrible earthquake occurred. We added more than 400 beds, and helicopters brought many of the worst injured people there from Port-au- Prince. Our planes left Cologne the day after the earthquake and landed, bringing German and Swiss doctors and supplies for 50,000 people. I should like to conclude by saying that without peace the development of peoples will never come about just as without development there will never be peace. And I congratulate you all for bringing these issues before us today. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French): I now give the floor to the observer of the Partners in Population and Development.

Thank you very much, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to make a few comments on behalf of the Partners in Population and Development (PPD) at this landmark High-level Plenary Meeting. Because of time constraints, I will not read out the whole of my prepared statement. As an intergovernmental organization of 24 developing countries committed to the promotion of South-South cooperation in the field of population and development, PPD has been actively promoting the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the goals of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), especially in its member countries. A number of international organizations and foundations, including the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), continue to support the activities of PPD, and, on this occasion, the PPD would like to put on record its appreciation for the Fund’s continued collaboration and support. Partners in Population and Development recognizes that all the MDGs are interlinked, thereby facilitating an integrated and comprehensive approach to achieving the goals, as many have noted. Bearing in mind that it is a networking and partnership institution, PPD is, in line with its mandate, encouraging and supporting activities in the programme priority areas substantive areas by focusing on capacity-building through training, knowledge-sharing through documenting and disseminating innovative practices in population and reproductive health, information exchange, and advocacy for population, reproductive health and development. Partners in Population and Development would like to draw attention, as others have done at this Meeting, to the slow rate of progress in such areas as improving maternal and reproductive health and reducing maternal mortality, MDG 5, and advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, MDG 3. At the same time, PPD notes with great satisfaction the renewed interest shown by Member States in maternal health and family planning as evidenced by the discussions at the last meeting of the Group of Eight in Canada and at the African Union Summit, which took place in July of this year in Kampala. Likewise, the Secretary-General’s Global Strategy on Women’s and Children’s Health is most timely and should be commended. Given that maternal mortality rates are still high, however, a concerted effort is required if accelerated progress on the relevant Goal is to be achieved by 2015. In this regard, PPD would like to reiterate the recommendations contained in the outcome document on family planning, emergency obstetric care and related services. However, PPD notes with deep concern that the funding for family planning is lower today than it was in 1995. As UNFPA has cautioned, if that trend is not reversed, it will have serious implications for countries’ abilities to address unmet needs for family planning and reproductive health. Urgent action is required in this regard. In the context of achieving the MDGs and the ICPD goals, the role of South-South cooperation needs to be highlighted. The Ministerial Meeting of the high- level segment of the Economic and Social Council in July of this year highlighted the growing importance of South-South cooperation and noted that it currently accounts for around 10 per cent of all development cooperation. Partners in Population and Development have been doing their part since 1994, when it was established at the time of the ICPD in Cairo. PPD experience indicates that first-rate technical capabilities exist in the population and reproductive health field in many developing countries and greater efforts should be made to fully capitalize on such capabilities through South-South and triangular cooperation. For example, the Governments of Egypt, Morocco and India have offered long-term fellowships and China and South Africa are offering short-term fellowships to train population, family planning and health experts. The Government of Bangladesh continues to host and support the secretariat of the PPD in Dhaka. In addition, PPD member countries have built a network of world-class institutions that can provide a whole range of training, research and technical support opportunities. In closing, PPD would like to express its fervent hope that the great potential that exists for South-South cooperation in many developing countries will be utilized and play an enhanced and critical role in contributing to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, and, indeed, to sustainable development and international cooperation. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French): I now give the floor to the observer of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean.

It is with great pride that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) participates today in the High-level Plenary Meeting on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), exercising for the first time its observer status, which it obtained last December at the sixty-fourth session of the General Assembly. Established in 2006 after some 20 years of collaboration among the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, under the aegis of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean now has 25 member parliaments from around the Mediterranean, whose joint hope for the Mediterranean is to improve the quality of life for some, to preserve a way of living for others, and to ensure the peaceful coexistence of all in a region that is prosperous and stable. Security-related political concerns and economic, social and environmental issues are crucial for our Assembly, which has placed the human dimension at the heart of its concerns. Achieving the MDGs is a global endeavour bolstered by one of the most ambitious programmes developed by humanity, to which the parliamentarians of the Mediterranean have decided to devote their steadfast dedication. The various aspects of poverty and suffering can be clearly seen in our region. Within the region, there are widely differing levels of development, which could threaten regional stability and trigger population shifts or conflict. The region must therefore step up its efforts in support of the attainment of the eight MDGs. Ten years after the Millennium Summit, a great deal of progress has been seen in our region. But it varies widely across the region, and a great deal more effort is still needed. While official development assistance to the Mediterranean countries has increased considerably, it remains inadequate. And some countries seem unlikely to be able to achieve the Goals set for 2015 unless additional efforts are made. The economic crisis, which is often invoked as an excuse, cannot be taken as a valid justification for failing to seize the opportunity before us to help the poorest populations on the required scale and eradicate extreme poverty. The American economist Jeffrey Sachs recently highlighted the gaps that must be bridged to attain the Millennium Development Goals. I would like to focus on one of them that is still of great concern in our region: access to drinking water and basic sanitation. Just to mention one figure, the Mediterranean accounts for 60 per cent of the world’s water-poor populations, with access to less than one thousand cubic metres per person per year. Water management here has a significant impact on life, health, agriculture, energy production, transportation and, hence, on the economy, the environment and biodiversity. Mindful that our region must seriously address the problem of collective water management, the Parliamentary Assembly resolved in 2008 to publish an annual report on water in the Mediterranean. Its resolution on water was adopted unanimously in 2009 at its meeting in Istanbul. It specifically requires member Parliaments to take action to ensure as soon as possible that the right of access to water by all may be recognized as an essential human right. We are very proud to note that last July the General Assembly adopted resolution 64/292, declaring that the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation is a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of the right to life. The PAM congratulates the General Assembly on this historic decision, which makes it possible to complete one stage leading to the attainment of the Millennium Goals. However, this stage is only theoretical and PAM’s concerns remain unchanged. By emphasizing water and access to clean water today, I am solemnly requesting in the name of the Parliamentarians of the Mediterranean that this historic resolution not be allowed to remain a dead letter, but will, rather, lead to the establishment of tangible rights, making it possible for several hundreds of millions of people to truly improve their living conditions. The Goals provide us with a unique opportunity to achieve this ambition by 2015. We, as Parliamentarians, are ready to use all our powers to legislate, oversee our executives and vote on budgets to ensure that this is achieved in our region, thereby underpinning the efforts being deployed by the United Nations. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French): I now give the floor to the observer of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

The Commonwealth is honoured to make a statement at this High-level United Nations General Assembly Meeting to review the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 countries on five continents. We account for a third of the world’s population, a quarter of its countries and a fifth of its trade. We are rich and poor, large and small — diverse countries with varied peoples aspiring to the shared goals of freedoms and rights which emanate from and underpin development and democracy. And with our membership containing 16 least developed countries, 19 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, 32 small States, the achieving of the Millennium Development Goals is an imperative for all Commonwealth citizens. The Commonwealth’s commitment to the MDGs is deep. The MDGs embody the fundamental rights which underpin our association. They provide an essential guiding light for the Commonwealth’s work among its members. Since 2000, when the international community embarked on this unique human endeavour, many countries in the Commonwealth have made significant progress. The incidence of tuberculosis has fallen in most Commonwealth developing States, rates of primary education have risen significantly in a large number of Commonwealth countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Two thirds of Commonwealth developing countries have already eliminated gender disparities in primary and secondary education. However, it is also clear that looking across the Commonwealth as a whole, much remains to be done. To illustrate: there are 20 million people in the Commonwealth living with HIV. In addition, two thirds of all maternal deaths take place in Commonwealth countries. Time is now short to attain the MDGs. Current circumstances demand now more than ever that the flame that was lit in 2000 be kept alive. We must now redouble our efforts to ensure that the MDGs are achieved and that this takes place within the agreed timeframe. In the Commonwealth, our Heads of Government and Ministers, especially those in health, education and women’s affairs, have looked hard at the challenges our countries face in meeting the MDGs. They have highlighted the need for action in a number of areas, four of which I will now specifically draw attention to and which are also reflected in the outcome document. First, there is a need for increased levels of development finance. With global pressure on development budgets, there is urgent need for the global community and its members to consider and implement new, innovative mechanisms for generating development finance. Secondly, a new emphasis is needed on the role of women in development. Both Commonwealth health ministers and women’s affairs ministers stressed the urgency of addressing shortcomings in maternal health provision. More midwives are desperately needed. But women are also important economic agents. As the women’s affairs ministers have emphasized, they need new and innovative ways to be supported as wealth creators if the MDGs are to be met. Thirdly, trade is well recognized as essential to support economic growth and promote poverty reduction. The will must be found to deliver a fair, development-oriented conclusion to the DOHA Development Round. Regional and other trading arrangements must be pursued and concluded on bases that strengthen productive capacity and improve access to markets, especially for women, youth entrepreneurs and small business owners. Fourthly, new and innovative partnerships are essential to delivering the MDGs. In the Commonwealth, we champion the linking together of our governmental, business and civil society networks. This is a model with global relevance. Our technical cooperation work is built on sharing best practice and south-south cooperation. These provide a new basis for sustainable development cooperation. In its work on the MDGs, the Commonwealth and its Secretariat are guided by the recognition that democracy and development are interdependent. Democracy at the national and local level promotes the transparency and accountability essential to efficient and effective delivery of public services and the economic growth which reduces poverty. We strongly believe that achieving the MDGs requires the full engagement of all citizens, for both “people ownership” of these objectives and “country ownership” are essential. We acknowledge and support the commitment of the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki- moon, the United Nations as an organization, and so many millions across the globe to maintaining the hope that inspired the MDGs in 2000. We trust that this meeting and the outcome document will serve to galvanize the global community, and particularly those most able to do so, into providing the human, technical and financial resources necessary to the task ahead which is assuring the attainment of the MDGs. The overarching goal that is still within our grasp is nothing less than saving present and future generations of the world’s people from wasted lives. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French): I now give the floor to the observer of the Common Fund for Commodities.

It is a great honour for the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC), and for myself, to address this meeting to present the perspective of the Common Fund with regard to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). By its very creation, the core business of the Common Fund for Commodities is essentially to combat poverty in developing countries by ensuring greater productivity, increased income, and enhanced export earnings from commodities, which constitute the base of the economies of the majority of the developing countries. The CFC undertakes projects on commodity diversification and value addition, disease and pest control for higher productivity, and other commodity development measures. Our main mandate is to enhance the socio-economic development of commodity producers, giving priority to assisting small-holder commodity producers. The projects financed by the Common Fund, therefore, are aligned to make a tangible contribution to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Currently, three quarters of the world’s extremely poor, estimated to be about 800 million people, live in rural areas and depend on commodities and commodity-related jobs for their livelihoods. Commodities are central for the economies of developing countries, being a major source of income, employment, trade and Government revenues. Of a total of 141 developing countries, 95 depend on commodities for at least 50 per cent of their export earnings, and approximately half the countries in Africa derive over 80 per cent of their merchandise export income from commodities. Considering that backdrop — where many developing countries, especially the most vulnerable, are heavily dependent on commodities — one cannot effectively address the implementation of the MDGs and combat poverty without taking into account the imperative of commodity development. Although in the context of the MDGs commodities are particularly important for attaining Goal 1 — to eradicate poverty and hunger — they have a cross-cutting relevance, affecting many of the agreed MDG targets. Goal 8 — to develop a global partnership for development — is another with regard to the targets addressing the needs of least developed countries (LDCs) and developing an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading system. Statistics from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development show that about 80 per cent of the agreed exports of LDCs are comprised of commodities and that for landlocked developing countries, that number is 70 per cent. A fairer international system for commodities trade would result in more opportunities for poor farmers and thus directly influence the socio-economic conditions in many of the world’s poorest countries. Market barriers and volatile commodity prices have led many producers in developing countries to abandon their farms and migrate to urban areas to look for new economic opportunities. That creates pressure on urban areas, particularly in basic services like health, education, drinking water and housing. Women constitute a significant majority of the workforce involved in commodity production. Implementing commodity measures therefore has a significant effect on promoting gender equality and empowering women, which is Goal 3, and that is why the gender dimension is an integral part in the appraisal process of CFC projects. Commodities also have an indirect impact on social development, especially in education and health. Maintaining sustainable and productive commodity systems provides farmers and their families with food security and cash income and effects the general health and education of the family. Raising the incomes of commodity growers and ensuring that those incomes are predictable could promote rural social development in general, because farmers will be more likely to send their children to school. That would contribute to the implementation of Goal 2 — universal primary education. It would also guarantee that children are better nourished, thus facilitating the reduction of child mortality, as set under Goal 4. Furthermore, it cannot be overemphasized that export commodities are the main source of Government revenues in developing countries, providing a major source of public resources to finance social policies. In order to implement the MDGs, the following issues should be taken into account: first, the supply capacity limitations under which commodity producers operate, including infrastructure issues; second, the lack of diversification in commodity production; third, the effective participation of producers, especially small-holders; fourth, appropriate instruments for tackling fluctuation in commodity prices; fifth, an international enabling environment, including an equitable, predictable and rule-based international trade system; sixth, effective mobilization of capital and increased public spending in order to assist commodity producers; and finally, additional resources in international official development assistance, especially targeting the commodity sector. Finally, as repeatedly stated, commodities have a multifaceted dimension and a cross-cutting impact that in general permeate all the targets set in the MDGs. It is necessary to make commodities a growth factor and to unlock the potential which is embedded in rich natural and human resources. Through its Five-Year Action Plan, the Common Fund for Commodities provides a modest contribution to the achievement of the MDGs, but the challenge is greater than the resources available. More resources need to be committed in commodity development assistance by the international community. We at the CFC are at a crossroads, as our member countries are now discussing the future of the organization. In line with the General Assembly’s resolution on commodities (resolution 64/192), adopted in December 2009, we hope that we will be given enough resources to continue making a modest impact in international development and the achievements of the MDGs towards 2015 and beyond. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French): I now give the floor to Mrs. Melinda French Gates, Co-Chair and Trustee of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

I am honoured to join the Assembly at the conclusion of this critical dialogue among world leaders about what I believe is one of the most urgent challenges facing the world today: how to accelerate the progress toward the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Over the past week I have heard some people say we will never meet the MDGs. Sometimes, our impatience with the way the world is leads us to be pessimistic about our ability to change it. But at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, we believe we can be very impatient with the way the world is and very optimistic that we will change it. The MDGs themselves embody this impatient optimism. They recognize how much there is to be done, while at the same time signalling the scale and scope of the world’s ambition. One reason I am optimistic is the progress I have seen in the 10 years since the MDGs were agreed to as part of the historic Millennium Declaration (resolution 55/2). The world is not called on to conjure progress from a void. Instead, it is called on to learn from very real progress on nearly all the MDGs, to expand it and to speed it up. One refrain I hear is that we are off track on many of the Goals. That statement is technically accurate. Not every country will meet every Goal, and there is a risk that some of the Goals will not be met. But that binary outlook — with total success on one side and total failure on the other and people on both sides blaming each other — obscures the extraordinary progress driven by extraordinary people across the globe. Take the MDG for child mortality. The goal is a two-thirds reduction, and we may not reach it by 2015. But have we failed when 4 million children who would have died in 1990 will survive in 2010? Have we failed when we have reduced polio, a crippling childhood disease, by 99 per cent in the past 20 years? Another complaint I hear a lot is that progress is not spread evenly. Some people dismiss the fact that 1.3 billion people have lifted themselves out of poverty by pointing out that most of them live in China and India, not in African countries. I believe that when poor people lift themselves out of poverty, we ought to celebrate, no matter where they come from. Bill and I started our foundation because we believe that all lives have equal value, and I am not comfortable comparing one person’s suffering to that of another. While it is true that some countries are reducing poverty more quickly than others — and some, sadly, have moved backwards — eight African countries have already achieved the Goal on poverty reduction, and several more are on schedule to do so by 2015. Across nearly every Goal, there are inspiring examples of even the poorest countries making dramatic improvements in short periods of time. The task ahead is to learn what the most successful countries are doing right, so that we can spread their best practices. In difficult economic times, it is imperative that we increase support for effective interventions that provide maximum value for money — and not shift even bigger burdens to the poorest by cutting back on development spending. Recently, we have seen some of these proven, cost-effective approaches gaining momentum, for example, agricultural development. More than three quarters of the poor people in the world depend on farming for their food and income, which is why agriculture is such an effective weapon against hunger and poverty. The Gates Foundation is supporting partners like the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa to work with donors and developing countries to create new agricultural opportunities for small farmers. The Group of Eight (G8) and Group of 20 countries increased their commitments to agriculture last year, and many developing country Governments, especially in Africa, have followed up with spending increases of their own. To take another example, women’s and children’s health, we know that investments in women and children generate huge returns. A healthy mother who can give her children a healthy start in life has a tremendous ripple effect on development. Earlier today, the Secretary-General launched the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health, which builds on the financial commitments made at the G8 meeting in Canada this summer. Along with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, I was proud to announce that the Gates Foundation has formed a partnership with the United States Agency for International Development, the United Kingdom Department for International Development and the Australian Government Overseas Aid Program to coordinate our efforts on the ground in poor countries. The synergy will help all of us make a bigger difference in the lives of more women and children. So I am impatient. I am impatient because the world is not getting better fast enough, or for enough people. But I am also optimistic. I am optimistic because there are proven and affordable ways to decrease hunger and poverty, to help mothers and their babies thrive, and to make rapid progress on all the MDGs. And I am optimistic about one more thing. I am optimistic that our impatience will lead us all to be more motivated, not less. I am optimistic that our sense of urgency will inspire us to work together, not to isolate ourselves. For if we are motivated, if we are inspired, if we work together, then we can meet again in five years to celebrate achievements that few of us might have dared to imagine. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French): I now give the floor to Mr. Rajat Kumar Gupta, Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce.

As Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), it gives me great pleasure to speak on behalf of the global business community and the International Chamber. When I spoke five years ago in the General Assembly (see A/60/PV.3), the role of business in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) was just emerging. Now we have many successes. For example, we stand here today knowing that we have made a dramatic impact in saving mothers and children from malaria. In the past 10 years, we have saved nearly three quarters of a million children across Africa. Technological solutions were made available through long-lasting insecticide-treated nets, and Governments provided additional financing through the World Bank and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. But what was critical to the success was a private-sector approach scale up efforts to achieve universal coverage by 2010, employing a war-room type strategy to meet that Goal through better supply chain planning, improved logistics, innovative financing approaches, and more. If that attitude is maintained through 2015, we can save an additional three million lives. Those gains are truly critical because success has a multiplier effect in making Africa a successful destination for investment and economic growth. Business does need to step up through innovative partnerships, co-investment and direct financial contributions. I have spent much of my life in a dialogue among business, government and civil society, and I speak to this Assembly today as a true believer in the ideal that when all three work together in public-private partnerships, our world does work better. In 2006, for example, Nestle began working with local communities in India, Pakistan and Africa on water efficiency. That partnership has expanded through the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation, McKinsey and Company and a number of other companies. They are now working with Governments to solve the water problem, watershed by watershed. Those partnerships bring results for society by expanding community access to water and improving both quality and efficiency. To capture and encourage the benefits of increased private-sector investment, Governments and development agencies need to work much more directly with business to identify investment impediments and remedies and to enhance the capacity to create business-enabling environments. However, mistrust and misunderstanding sometimes prevent us from working together more often in those types of endeavours. When that happens, we all lose: business loses opportunity and government loses credibility, but society loses most of all. We must overcome this mistrust, and I commit, as Chair of the ICC, that I will advocate among our hundreds of thousands of members to increase our contribution to the achievement of the MDGs. Public-private partnerships will get us closer to the MDGs, but economic growth, entrepreneurship and job creation are absolutely fundamental. Global trade and investment are the engines to move hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and to achieve the MDGs — which is why the Governments need to create this enabling environment. The biggest lesson from emerging economies and less developed countries is that the greatest source of development has been business, enterprise creation, productivity growth and job creation. In the most underdeveloped economies, the aid and innovative financing provided by the rich countries can create a minimum threshold required for the private sector to truly prosper. And in every country, leaders like those gathered here set the framework for local entrepreneurship: for setting up businesses, for closing them down, for formalizing national economies, and so on. Further, Governments set the framework for national competitiveness, for how to protect workers, enforce contracts and protect intellectual property and for other initiatives. That is why it is important for Governments to create a level playing field: to create an enabling environment for enterprises of all sizes and sectors to develop, to create jobs and to pursue technological innovation and cooperation. Economic growth and our ambitions for the eradication of poverty depend upon the energy and drive of business and commerce. We at ICC are committed to trade, investment and job creation, and we should resist the urges of protectionism in these challenging economic times. Now let me talk about a topic that is often not linked to the MDGs but is critically important. The world is undergoing the largest wave of urban growth in history. As of 2008, more than half of the world’s population was living in towns and cities. By 2030 that number will swell to almost 5 billion, with urban growth concentrated in Africa and Asia. While mega- cities have captured much public attention, most of the new growth will occur in smaller towns and cities, which have fewer resources with which to respond to the magnitude of the change. Poverty is now growing faster in urban areas than in rural areas. One billion people live in urban slums, which are typically overcrowded, polluted and dangerous and lack the basic services such as clean water and sanitation. The MDGs cannot be achieved without solving the smart-urbanization problem. Addressing the challenges of meeting the MDGs by 2015 will require concerted efforts and partnerships by all actors in society. My message to Governments is that they cannot hope for development without business, but business needs Governments to be successful. Whenever we see evidence of the private sector driving development, in every single case the Government got the conditions right. Governments, and Governments alone, get to set those conditions that enable business to grow and, in turn, societies to prosper. I would urge Government leaders to have higher expectation of what business can deliver. We must bring innovative approaches to education, health, municipal services, and so on. Such approaches could include the normal business incentives for the private sector to rapidly ramp up and provide much needed capacity in all such fields. That may sound like aspirations aimed too high, but I believe that development that fails to leverage the best of business is development aimed too low. In summary, I believe that the success of the MDGs is possible and that public-private partnerships are part of that success. But we cannot forget that our greatest chance of achieving the MDGs will be through economic growth, which requires us to fundamentally address access to education, universal health care, environmentally responsible growth and the challenges of urbanization. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French): I now give the floor to Ms. Zhou Lu, who will speak for Friendship across Frontiers.

The co-founder of the London School of Economics, George Bernard Shaw, once said that progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything. We are here today. That is the best proof of progress that reflects far more change than just the change of minds. Not so long ago, the prevalent notion of business was that the only social responsibility of business is to make profits. Yet today, business leaders from many developing countries, such as my country, China, have shown that true sustainable value does not come from profits but from making a real difference. We all realize that Governments alone cannot tackle many of the problems that we face today. The collaboration and commitment of the private sector and civil society, working in partnership with Governments, are indispensable to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) — a collaboration based on solidarity, not charity. That is why we are here today with the commitment to address the challenges of the MDGs and to do so collaboratively with all concerned stakeholders — Governments, business and non- governmental partners — and to do it in a way that ensures national ownership and the empowerment of the poor. We need to commit to mobilizing the requisite resources and to using them effectively and to enhancing South-South cooperation. We know the gaps and we know what works and what does not. We know that a fairer trading system and private investment are essential, not just external aid. We cannot wait. It is time to join efforts, to partner and to collaborate. It is time for the private sector and civil society to explore new forms of multi-stakeholder partnerships that are focused on investing in the underprivileged. This important event is an opportunity to invite the private sector to develop business models and strategies for achieving the MDGs, using the rigours of the market place, its management expertise and its logistic systems to move beyond corporate social responsibility to create a shared value for all stakeholders. Since we all recognize that the MDGs are a responsibility for all citizens, we should encourage all citizens and civil society to create a culture of personal responsibility and encourage social innovation to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. I urge participants, in their different roles, to be more innovative in considering new forms of partnerships for the achievement of the MDGs. I come from China, the world’s workshop, and I am proud of what we have achieved with hard work, ingenuity and expanding partnerships. Some 700 years ago, a group of Venetians left their homeland and headed for the East. It took them 24 years to return to their homeland, and Marco Polo said “I have not told half what I saw”. Today we have many more resources than previously. Therefore, we need to repeat that endeavour and come form every corner of the world and work with each other. There is a wealth of promise and potential that can benefit us all in our endeavours to lift people from poverty. The world is so interconnected. What happens in one part ripples and affects another part, and we need to keep that in mind in our efforts and our promise to achieve the MDGs and, as the Secretary-General said, make it happen. The Co-Chair (Mr. Deiss) (spoke in French): I now come to the final remarks of the President of the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly, for which I have chosen the title “We will do more to achieve the Millennium Development Goals”. Our High-level Meeting is coming to an end. By adopting the final document (resolution 65/1), we have reaffirmed that keeping the promise made in the year 2000 and achieving the Millennium Development Goals is a moral duty. It is an essential contribution to global peace, security and prosperity. We are determined to fulfil that duty. That message is clear to all participants, and I have heard it from all participants. I welcome the many new proposals and commitments that were made during our debate, commitments to increase official development assistance, to develop innovative financing and, in particular, to mobilize domestic resources. However, it is not financial resources that make the difference. It is important that the policies implemented at the international and national levels promote development, through opening of markets, improving governance and giving priority in national budgets to public spending to promote the Millennium Development Goals. What matters now is that our words be followed by action and that they have concrete results for the millions of men, women and children living in poverty. We will have to closely monitor the implementation of our commitments. The annual reports of the Secretary- General will allow us to measure the results. The General Assembly will play its role, in particular through a special event to take place in 2013. That is how we will show that we are trustworthy partners, credible and responsible. That is essential, and I said so in my statement at the opening of this Plenary Meeting. If we want to succeed, we must work together. The commitment of both donors and recipients is needed, as an authentic partnership. That partnership should extend to civil society and the private sector. In that regard, I am impressed by the strong commitment of civil society and private sector partners to the Millennium Development Goals. Over 150 events have been organized here in New York by the partners. A broad range of questions fundamental to development have been addressed. That profusion of events facilitated the exchange of lessons learned and good practices and strengthened partnerships. We are stronger as we continue. Formation of partnerships between the public sector and the private sector is a powerful tool for development. The roles of both those actors are complementary. Governments must establish the conditions that will allow the private sector to innovate, invest and create jobs. That is the condition for lasting success. It is heartening to note that today companies are exploring innovative models that are better adapted to meeting the needs of the poor. This afternoon I attended the launch of one example of a broad partnership, the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health, entitled “Every woman, every child”. At the initiative of the Secretary- General, the Global Strategy is united around the same goal and includes not only the 192 United Nations Member States, but also representatives of civil society, the private sector and foundations. Such initiatives are encouraging. I take this opportunity to thank all of those who have made a commitment to the Millennium Development Goals, and I hope that others will follow their example. We have five years more to prove our determination. But if we want to strengthen our progress, we must make a greater investment in disaster prevention and risk reduction. An earthquake in Haiti, forest fires in Russia, floods in Pakistan — unfortunately, that list is not exhaustive. This year, the enormous human, social, economic and environmental cost of natural disasters has been demonstrated far too often. Real success will be achieved only if development is sustainable and if our economic structures are respectful of humanity and its environment. After these three days of debate, I remain optimistic. We will achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Ladies and gentlemen, I am counting on you. Before adjourning this meeting, I wish to remind members that the closing meeting of the High-level Plenary Meeting as a contribution to the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity will take place immediately after the adjournment of this meeting in this Hall. I declare closed the High-level Plenary Meeting of the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly. The meeting rose at 10.05 p.m.