UN summit confident of achieving MDGs on time if world delivers

While expressing deep concern that progress has fallen far short of what is needed, the United Nations Summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) held in New York from 20-22 September ended with confidence that with renewed global commitment the targets to slash hunger, poverty, disease and a host of other social ills can still be achieved by 2015.

“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,” said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during the closing session of the MDG Summit. “The Summit outcome document sends a clear sign that you remain committed to the goals even in a difficult international environment,” he added.

Video:

http://www.unmultimedia.org/tv/webcast/2010/09/secretary-general-ban-ki-moon-closing-statement-mdg-debate.html (5:48 minutes)

Statement: http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=4798

Website: http://www.un.org/en/mdg/summit2010/index.shtml

Outcome document: http://www.un.org/en/mdg/summit2010/pdf/mdg%20outcome%20document.pdf

Get the Inside Story on the MDG Summit

Dear Friend,

Nearly 140 world leaders joined President Obama in New York yesterday to discuss progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). While much of the talks took place behind closed doors, you can get the inside story on what happened by joining our global briefing call this Thursday:

http://www.tonyblairfaithfoundation.org/MDGBriefing

This summit in New York may have taken place 4,000 miles from Africa, but it's a watershed moment for the continent.

The last time these leaders gathered, in 2000, they made eight landmark promises to the world's people - the Millennium Development Goals.

In the 10 years since, governments have made progress towards those goals - but not nearly enough. Some of the promises of the MDGs are in danger of being broken.

The MDG summit is an opportunity for all of us to re-affirm our commitments to the world's poorest people - and for our leaders to agree to a concrete plan to fulfill the promises of the MDGs.

Our call will be an opportunity for you to find out what you can do in your own faith community to help. Charles Abugre Akelyira, Deputy Director of the United Nations Millennium Campaign in Africa, will fill us in on outcomes from the summit and what our next steps should be.

Also joining the call will be Saleemah Abdul-Ghafur of Malaria No More, who serves as the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Malaria. She'll discuss how faith communities and African government leaders are halting deaths from malaria - one of the MDGs.

Don't miss our briefing on Thursday:

http://www.tonyblairfaithfoundation.org/MDGBriefing

Susie McShane
Tony Blair Faith Foundation

P.S. Have you seen this video? President Jimmy Carter speaks with feeling about why we as people of faith must draw attention to extreme poverty. Watch it now:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwwlbBNY3I8

Tony Blair Faith Foundation - MDG Call on Africa

Dear Friend,

Next week marks a historic moment in the fight against extreme poverty.

World leaders are gathering in New York to discuss progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. It's a golden opportunity for us to urge our leaders to do more to honour their promises to the world's poorest people.

Learn more about what took place at the summit, and what you can do to make noise to end extreme poverty.

Join us Thursday, 23 September, for our next free Faiths Act Global Briefing call: Voices from Africa on the MDGs.

RSVP here:

http://www.tonyblairfaithfoundation.org/MDGCall

The call will take place at 13:00 EDT, 18:00 BST, 20:00 UTC.

Our speakers are uniquely equipped to speak to ways we can all help fulfill our promise to the world's most vulnerable people.

The call will feature a dialogue between Faiths Act Fellow Alum Pritpal Kaur Riat and Charles Abugre Akelyira, the United Nations Development Programme's African Director on outcomes from the UN MDG Summit.

Pritpal will also speak to an advocate for interfaith cooperation to fight malaria as well as a Faiths Act supporter from Uganda.

Hear how communities on the ground in Africa are experiencing the impact of the MDGs - and don't miss the online webcast accompanying the call!

http://www.tonyblairfaithfoundation.org/MDGCall

By learning about the issues and making a noise in your community, you will join people around the world in directing the international community's attention to the plight of the world's poorest and most vulnerable people.

Hope you can join us.

Best

Kate

Kate Millar
Tony Blair Faith Foundation

A Million Minutes for Peace

21 September 2010 - A Million Minutes for Peace

Each year Pax Christi International Member Organisations join thousands of other organizations worldwide to mark the UN International Day of Peace on 21st September. The day is also observed as an International Day of Prayer for Peace. This day offers opportunities for (faith) communities to hold events, worship and prayer vigils, and forum on peace-related themes in your area or country. All Member Organisations of Pax Christi International are invited to focus on this International Day. More information is available in 2010-0467-en-gl-PE.

Odyssey Networks invites us all to join them on this day in their campaign ‘A Million Minutes of Peace’. They call on all people around the world to stop at noon and pray for peace for one minute- in their own way. No matter what your religious affiliation is, make a pledge to join in on this initiative. It only takes a minute.

For more information and to sign up for the campaign CLICK HERE.

More information on the International Day of Peace CLICK HERE.

Pax Christi Youth - Millennium Development Goals Summit Videos!