British Ambassador to Kuwait
Reducing global poverty is the single biggest challenge we face today. As the UN''s recent MDG Gap Taskforce highlighted Ü it will take the sustained and committed efforts of rich countries Ü north and south Ü as well as the private sector, faith groups and civil society from across the world for us to meet this monumental challenge.
At the start of the new millennium world leaders gathered at the United Nations to make a promise Ü that we would do everything within our powers to halve extreme poverty by 2015.
The Millennium Development Goals agreed at that summit set clear and measurable targets on a range of vitally important issues such as increasing the number of children in school, improving health care, cutting maternal and child deaths, combating major disease and stopping environmental degradation.
All of these things make a huge difference to the quality of people''s live across the world, and we have seen big changes; there are now 41 million more children in school, three million more children and surviving every year, and two million more people are receiving treatment for AIDS.
But Ü halfway to 2015 and in the runÜup to this month''s meeting on the MDGs at the United Nations Ü we now need to ensure that the promises of the international community do not become mere aspirations.
We must work together, in this 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to deliver the MDGs to that every person has health, education, shelter and security.
We know that really progress can be made. But despite the progress we have made so far, and despite the good will and the good work of millions, out goals are imply not being met and there is much more we need to do.
Each and every one of us needs to act Ü today Ü to make 2008 a turning point.
This month''s United Nations summit will bring together representatives of G8 and European governments with their African, Asian and Latin American counterparts, as well as faith leaders, business leaders and civil society organizations from across the world Ü and we must commit to step up the pace and to work relentlessly, year on year until we meet our goals.
We have the technology. We have the knowledge. We have the wealth.
All we need now is the will to ensure there are no more gaps.
Only by acting together can we succeed. We cannot fail.
Last updated on Tuesday 23/9/2008
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