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The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were agreed at the United Nations Millennium Summit in September 2000 and nearly 190 countries have subsequently signed up to them.
The eight Millennium Development Goals are:
Call to Action
Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, launched the
MDG Call to Action in July 2007, with the support of 14 heads of state or
governments and 21 private sector leaders. It seeks to:
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- Galvanise the international community to rise to the challenge of this
development emergency and to accelerate our efforts;
- Build an international
consensus about what needs to be done, and optimism that, working together, we can
meet the MDGs;
- Harness the efforts of every possible government, organisation,
group and individual with a contribution to make;
- Set milestones and steps towards the MDGs,
so that progress can be measured, lessons learned, and gaps identified.
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The Prime Minister has called for a
one-day meeting on the MDGs under the leadership of United Nations Secretary General Ban
Ki-Moon in the autumn of
2008 to accelerate action on the MDGs.
Who is involved?
The Call to Action will engage a broad set of players – not just governments
in the developed and developing world.
- The private sector has the technology, skills and expertise for wealth and
job creation that, if fully mobilised, will help meet our goals. And it is in
its best business interest to help poor countries develop. We call on the
world’s entrepreneurs to put their talents to create businesses and jobs in the
new economies and encourage a new generation of entrepreneurs for the future.
- Professionals in fields such as medicine and education have knowledge and
experience to help us cure diseases and inspire the young. We call on them to
help improve the provision of basic services and train a new generation of
doctors and nurses and teachers.
- Non-governmental organisations have challenged us all to make poverty history and held us to account
for our promises. We call on them to continue to challenge us by proposing new
directions and inspiring new actors to ensure that everyone with a contribution
to make is involved, and our development efforts are sustainable.
- Faith groups have the power to mobilise millions, across the world. We call
on them to ensure that everyone is included in our action, and to make sure that
we collectively meet the needs of those who are most in need, particularly women
and children.
- Cities are where most of us live. We need to harness the knowledge
and spending power of cities in the developed world to help those in the poorest
through their procurement and buying power.
How will the Call to Action be taken forward in 2008?
The Call to Action will be taken forward in a range of ways, involving the
different stakeholders and primarily through key moments such as:
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- A conference involving the private sector in the spring of 2008;
- European Union meetings throughout 2008;
- The G8 summit in Japan in July
2008;
- The United Nations meeting on the MDGs in autumn of 2008.
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Last updated: 25 January 2008
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