Briefing session on Millenium Development Goals
Our Common Responsibility
Lahore,
13 December 2007
UN Information Centre arranged a special briefing session on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG's) and the role of the United Nations. The National Information Officer of the UN Information Centre, Islamabad gave a presentation to the students of the Political Sciences, International Relations, Diplomacy & strategic Studies and Economics of the Punjab University on 13 December 2007.
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In her Briefing, she gave a brief introduction of the MDG's that; In September 2000, at the United Nations Millennium Summit, world leaders agreed to a set of time bound and measurable goals and targets for combating poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation and discrimination against women. Placed at the heart of the global agenda, they are now called the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). All by the target date of 2015 - form a blueprint agreed by all the world's countries and all the world's leading development institutions. They have galvanized unprecedented efforts to meet the needs of the world's poorest. |
The MDGs provide a framework for the entire UN system to work coherently together towards a common end. The world is making progress toward the MDGs - but it is uneven and too slow. A large majority of nations will reach the MDGs only if they get substantial support - advocacy, expertise and resources - from outside.
About the practical assistance in support of country priorities, she explains that the UN is helping to integrate the MDGs into all aspects of its work at the country level, in response to the priorities identified by each country. UN staff and country teams are working closely with a steadily expanding circle of partners who are supporting developing nations with practical advice and assistance in designing policies and programmes, building capacity and testing innovations, as these countries map out their own paths to reach the Goals.
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UN agencies, the OECD Development Assistance Committee and, in many cases, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, are working to support MDG reports for every developing country. These reports, which are in a growing number of cases the product of collaboration between a country 's government, the private sector and civil society, highlight where countries are on track to meet the Goals, where urgent efforts are needed, and how money is being spent.
The UN system and its international and civil society partners are aiming to spearhead a series of awareness-raising Millennium Campaigns within countries, based on national strategies and needs. In the developed countries, the campaigns' primary focus will be on galvanizing public opinion as a means to boost development assistance, trade, debt relief, technology and other support needed to achieve the MDGs. In the developing world, the aim is to build coalitions for action and help governments set priorities, including in their budgets, and use resources more effectively.
About MDGs progress in developing countries including Pakistan, she briefed the students about the current progress on each MDG. Students took part in the discussion as it evolved around each MDG . She gave brief descriptions and progress on each MDG. She also shared the web links and distributed information materials on HIV & AIDS and other MDGs.
The presentation and an interactive Q&A session lasted for more than 90 minutes.
Students stressed that information and awareness about HIV & AIDS is very important at the school level.
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