Press Release: UN Summit Concludes With Adoption Of Global A

Press Releaseun Summit Concludes With Adoption Of Global Action Plan

Press Releaseun Summit Concludes With Adoption Of Global Action Plan

PRESS RELEASE UN Summit concludes with adoption of global action plan to achieve development goals by 2015 Secretary-General secures more than $40 billion for women’s and children’s health UNITED NATIONS, New York, 22 September — A United Nations Summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) concluded today with the adoption of a global action plan to achieve the eight anti-poverty goals by their 2015 target date and the announcement of major new commitments for women’s and children’s health and other initiatives against poverty, hunger and disease. The outcome document of the three-day Summit – Keeping the Promise: United to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals – reaffirms world leaders’ commitment to the MDGs and sets out a concrete action agenda for achieving the Goals by 2015.

Based on examples of success and lessons learned over the last ten years, the document spells out specific steps to be taken by all stakeholders to accelerate progress on each of the eight Goals. It also affirms that, despite setbacks due to the economic and financial crises, remarkable progress has been made on fighting poverty, increasing school enrolment and improving health in many countries, and the Goals remain achievable. In a major push to accelerate progress on women’s and children’s health, a number of Heads of State and Government from developed and developing countries, along with the private sector, foundations, international organizations, civil society and research organizations, pledged over $40 billion in resources over the next five years.

The Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health – a concerted worldwide effort initiated by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon – has the potential of saving the lives of more than 16 million women and children, preventing 33 million unwanted pregnancies, protecting 120 million children from pneumonia and 88 million children from stunting due to malnutrition, advancing the control of deadly diseases such as malaria and HIV/AIDS, and ensuring access for women and children to quality health facilities and skilled health workers. “We know what works to save women’s and children’s lives, and we know that women and children are critical to all of the MDGs,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said.

“Today we are witnessing the kind of leadership we have long needed.” In addition, a number of other significant commitments on each of the eight Goals were made by Governments, international organizations and partners as well as by business representatives at the Private Sector Forum organized by the UN Global Compact. Highlights are shown below.

Goals and Commitments

Goal 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger

  • The World Bank will increase its support to agriculture to between $6 billion and $8 billion a year over the next three years, up from $4.1 billion annually before 2008, under its Agriculture Action Plan to help boost incomes, employment and food security in many low-income areas.
  • The Republic of Korea pledged $100 million to support food security and agriculture in developing countries.
  • Chile announced an Ethical Family Income initiative, to be launched in 2011, to supplement the income of the poorest families and those in the vulnerable middle class.
  • Monster.com committed to expand access to job opportunities for rural youth in India by promoting access to Rozgarduniya.com, an Internet job portal, in 40,000 villages across nine states in India.

Goal 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education

  • Japan will provide $3.5 billion over five years for education in developing countries, beginning in 2011.
  • The World Bank will increase its zero-interest and grant investment in basic education by an additional $750 million, focusing on countries not on track to reach the education MDGs by 2015, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Trinidad and Tobago committed to provide laptop computers to all secondary students within five years.
  • Dell committed to give $10 million towards education technology initiatives this year.

Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women

  • The Earth Institute, Ericsson and Millennium Promise launched Connect To Learn, a non-profit global education initiative to improve access to and quality of secondary education for children worldwide, especially girls. It provides three-year scholarships covering tuition, books, uniforms, and broadband technology. The first 100 scholarships will be in Millennium Villages in Ghana and Tanzania.
  • UPS International pledged $2 million to the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts to empower women via leadership and sustainability programs in 145 countries.
  • ExxonMobil committed $1 million in partnership with Ashoka’s Changemakers, the International Council for Research on Women, and Thunderbird Emerging Markets Laboratory to support technologies that enhance women's productivity and economic participation, expected to benefit over 13,500 individuals directly and hundreds of thousands indirectly within two years.

Goal 4 & 5: Reduce Child Mortality and Improve Maternal Health

  • Canada reaffirmed its commitment to mobilize over $10 billion from G8 and non-G8 leaders, key donors, and private foundations via the Muskoka Initiative for maternal, newborn, and child health.
  • LifeSpring Hospitals committed to providing access to quality healthcare for approximately 82,000 Indian women and their families. Over five years, they plan to increase hospitals serving mothers and children from 9 to 200, improving care standards and reducing maternal and childhood mortality.

Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and Other Diseases

  • France announced a pledge of $1.4 billion to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, a 20% increase, with more pledges expected before the Global Fund’s October replenishment.
  • Japan announced a contribution of $800 million to the Global Fund in upcoming years.
  • The United Kingdom will triple its malaria funding from £150 million annually to £500 million by 2014.
  • China will donate $14 million to the Global Fund over the next three years.
  • The World Bank announced an increase of over $600 million in results-based health programs until 2015, expanding health services and system strengthening in 35 countries.
  • Sumitomo Chemical pledged to donate 400,000 anti-malarial nets to Millennium Villages, following their previous donation of 330,000 nets in 2006.

Goal 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability

  • The United States committed $50.82 million over five years to the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, aiming to install 100 million clean-burning stoves worldwide.
  • Cameroon’s Energy Sector Development Programme plans to double energy production by 2015 and triple it by 2020.
  • The Asian Development Bank intends to double its clean energy financing to $2 billion annually by 2013.
  • WaterHealth International will build 75 water purification plants in Bangladesh and expand to 100 villages in India, providing clean water to 175,000 people.
  • PepsiCo pledged to ensure access to clean water for 3 million people globally by 2015.

Goal 8: Promote a Global Partnership for Development

  • The European Union offered €1 billion to support the most committed and needy countries in progressing toward the MDGs.
  • Belgium pledged €400,000 for the UN Conference on Least Developed Countries in 2011.
  • China committed to grant zero-tariff treatment to more products from Least Developed Countries and continue debt cancellations.

For further details on the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health and other commitments, please see the official UN sources and reports.

Paper For Above instruction

The recent United Nations Summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) marked a significant milestone in the global effort to eradicate poverty and improve health, education, and sustainability. Convened with the goal of accelerating progress towards 2015, the summit culminated in the adoption of a comprehensive global action plan that reaffirmed the international community’s commitment to achieving the eight MDGs. This collective pledge was underscored by extraordinary financial commitments, including over $40 billion in resources dedicated to women’s and children’s health over the next five years, exemplifying renewed global focus on vulnerable populations.

The summit’s outcome document, “Keeping the Promise,” outlined strategic steps tailored to each goal, emphasizing lessons learned and success stories from the past decade. Despite setbacks due to economic crises, the document reaffirmed that substantial progress had been made—marked by declines in extreme poverty, increased school enrollments, and better health outcomes across numerous countries. Notably, the strategic emphasis on women’s and children’s health revealed a concerted effort led by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health aims to save over 16 million lives, prevent millions of unwanted pregnancies, and improve health systems globally. The initiative educates about effective approaches and highlights the critical role of women and children in achieving broader development goals (United Nations, 2010).

The financial commitments announced at the summit spanned multiple sectors and regions. For example, the World Bank increased agricultural support support to between $6 and $8 billion annually, targeting food security and rural incomes. Several nations pledged substantial support—Korea’s $100 million for agriculture and Chile’s Ethical Family Income initiative demonstrate a focus on eradicating hunger and lifting vulnerable families out of poverty. Education efforts were also prioritized, with Japan allocating $3.5 billion over five years for educational development and Trinidad and Tobago pledging to provide laptops to secondary students. Such initiatives aim to enhance access and quality of education globally, recognizing childhood education as a vital driver of sustainable development (UN, 2010).

Gender equality and women’s empowerment projects received notable attention, with programs like Connect To Learn offering scholarships to promote secondary education, primarily targeting girls in developing regions. Corporate commitments—such as UPS and ExxonMobil’s investments—highlight the increasing role of private sector collaboration in advancing gender equality and economic participation (UN, 2010). In health sector commitments, notable contributions to combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases include increased funding from France, Japan, the UK, and China, coupled with results-based health programs led by the World Bank (WHO, 2018).

Environmental sustainability initiatives featured prominently, with the US pledging over $50 million to promote clean cookstoves, helping reduce health hazards and environmental degradation. Other projects aimed to double energy production in Cameroon and expand financing for clean energy projects—highlighting a shared understanding that sustainable development is integral to achieving all MDGs (IPCC, 2014). Water and sanitation also garnered attention, exemplified by WaterHealth International’s plans to build sanitation facilities benefiting thousands in South Asia. Moreover, the private sector—such as PepsiCo—committed to providing access to clean water for millions, reflecting a multisectoral approach essential for lasting progress.

Finally, the summit addressed global partnership, with EU funding and commitments from China and Belgium emphasizing the importance of equitable trade practices, debt relief, and targeted aid. These collective commitments underscored that achieving the MDGs requires coordinated, sustained international cooperation across governments, civil society, and the private sector. The summit’s outcomes demonstrate the recognition that, while challenges remain, strategic collaborations and investments are vital to meet the 2015 targets and build sustainable development pathways for future generations.

References

  • United Nations. (2010). Keeping the Promise: United to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/en/mdgreport/pdf/mdgreport2010.pdf
  • World Health Organization. (2018). Global status report on malaria 2018. Geneva: WHO.
  • Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). (2014). Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change. Cambridge University Press.
  • World Bank. (2008). Agriculture Action Plan: Supporting Food Security and Rural Development. Washington, DC: World Bank.
  • OECD. (2015). Aid effectiveness and the Millennium Development Goals. OECD Publishing.
  • UNICEF. (2015). The State of the World’s Children 2015: Reimagine all children free from neglect. UNICEF.
  • OECD, Development Assistance Committee. (2014). The role of private sector in aid effectiveness. OECD Publishing.
  • UNDP. (2013). Human Development Report 2013: The Rise of the South. UNDP.
  • UNAIDS. (2017). Global AIDS Update 2017. UNAIDS.
  • Green, K. (2016). Financing Sustainable Development: Strategies and Challenges. Sustainability Journal, 8(9), 826.

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