The UN General Assembly is convening in September an “MDG Summit” (High Level Plenary Meeting) with the primary aim of “accelerating progress” towards achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.
This Summit comes at a critical juncture for the international community. The global economic and food crises of 2008-2009 caused devastating setbacks for millions of people around the world.
But even before these recent catastrophes, the international community despite some very significant progress, including in some of the poorest countries was already falling far short and even going backward in some key areas.
Much more must and can be done in the countdown to 2015 to meet the MDG promise. The Summit process is an important opportunity to take stock of which development strategies are working and which ones are not, and what strategic decisions and actions at national and international levels are urgently needed to make decisive progress in the next five years.
In an effort to enhance the participation and inclusiveness of this process, the United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service (NGLS) and the UN Millennium Campaign have launched a consultation with civil society across the globe that will compile their views into a single report, which will be issued in conjunction with the General Assembly’s “Hearings” with representatives of civil society and the private sector on 14-15 June.
The consultation is designed to build on the analysis and recommendations of the UN Secretary-General report for the Summit, ‘Keeping the Promise’, around four themes:
1. Why are we so far behind in key areas?
2. Emerging issues and challenges
3. Proposals to accelerate progress
4. An action- and accountability-oriented agenda for all stakeholders
If your organisation or network is interested to participate in this consultation please visit: http://www.un-ngls.org/mdgconsultation . The Deadline for submissions is 7 May. For more information on the MDG Summit process and the civil society Hearings in June, please visit: http://www.un-ngls.org/mdg2010 . Please, do not hesitate to contact this e-mail in case you have any questions or comments: [email protected] .
