U.N. declares MDG event 'exceeded our most optimistic expectations'

By Mary Frances Schjonberg, September 26, 2008 [Episcopal News Service] At the close of the September 25 "high-level event" at the United Nations aimed at gaining a recommitment to the Millennium Development Goals, the U.N. announced new contributions and commitments that it said could amount to $16 billion or more.

That total included $4.5 billion to get 24 million more children in school by 2010 by way of the Education for All campaign, $1.6 billion to foster food security, $3 billion to launch the Malaria Action Plan, and almost half a billion dollars in new pledges to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, $2 billion related to child mortality and maternal health, and as well as pledges to support national health plans and access to clean water and sanitation, and education.

The complete list of the pledges, which come from government, private sector, non-governmental organizations and other advocacy groups, is available here.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a news conference at the end of the day that officials still must verify the $16 billion total, adding "that expression of global commitment would be all the more remarkable because it comes against a backdrop of financial crisis."

He said that "this brand of global leadership -- these global partnerships" displayed at the event "is the way of the future."

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown characterized the result as the "broadest-ever alliance assembled to fight for a common goal, the world and poverty."

No other formal statement was issued at the end of the day, but there appeared to be support for Ban's proposal to hold a MDG review summit in 2010.

General Assembly President Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann announced the start of a consultation process to develop a resolution to outline the process for that meeting, according to a U.N. news release.

D'Escoto said that he and Ban would also convene "an informal thematic debate" at the end of 2008 or in early 2009 titled "Strengthening Global Health: the Health MDGs and Beyond."

The September 25 event, which was held alongside the General Assembly's annual meeting, featured three roundtable discussions, on poverty and hunger, education and health, and environmental sustainability. A series of side events, during many of the new pledges and re-commitments were made, took place throughout the day.
 
Print copies and videos of the day's opening session, roundtable discussion, and other events can be found here.

ENS coverage of events on September 25 is available here and here.

-- The Rev. Mary Frances Schjonberg is Episcopal Life Media correspondent for Episcopal Church governance, structure, and trends, as well as news of the dioceses of Province II. She is based in Neptune, New Jersey, and New York City.

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