Secretary-General Calls Millennium Development Goals Advocacy Group ‘Global

Superheroes’, Stressing Work with Stakeholders More Critical than Ever

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki‑moon’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, to the Millennium Development Goals Advocacy Group Leaders Breakfast, in New York today:

Five years ago, I established the MDG [Millennium Development Goals] Advocacy Group to help us generate political will and mobilize global action to achieve the MDGs.

I called the MDG Advocates our “global superheroes” in fighting poverty.  And, indeed, they have been “faster than a speeding bullet — more powerful than a locomotive” — and they have helped us leap over tall obstacles in a single bound!

Together with these global leaders, and partnerships such as Roll Back Malaria, we have raised awareness, mobilized resources, and helped shape policy.  The MDGs have transformed the lives of millions of people.  Fewer people are in poverty.  More children are in school.  We are making inroads in the fight against malaria and tuberculosis.  Families and communities have greater access to an improved drinking water source.

But we must do more to reach our targets on hunger and chronic child malnutrition.  Faster progress is needed to meet the goals of reducing child and maternal mortality and to improve access to sanitation.

With 462 days remaining, I need your full support on two critical fronts:  first, to accelerate progress towards meeting the MDGs; [and] second, we must prepare for post-2015.

We need a strong successor framework in place.  An ambitious agenda for sustainable development will require effective coordination and the contribution of all development partners.  Building mechanisms for effective partnerships and multi-stakeholder accountability will be critical to the success of the post-2015 development agenda. 

As Member States engage in this debate in the UN, your MDG experience in engaging Governments, civil society, and the private sector will be more critical than ever.  The more we advance the MDGs, the more solid the foundation for success of the sustainable development goals.  Thank you for your passion and commitment.  Let us keep up MDG momentum and build a life of dignity for all.  Thank you.

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For information media • not an official record