Chinese, Iranian leaders to speak on 2nd day of UN summit

While the MDGs were narrow in their focus (poverty), and aimed primarily at what donors could do, and while they are hardly known outside global development circles, they have achieved something remarkable in the development community entrenching the idea of measuring progress through robust metrics, not just so that we can measure effectiveness for donors, but, more importantly, in order to promote accountability.

Thomson Reuters Chinese President Xi addresses joint news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House in WashingtonUNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping announced on Saturday that Beijing will establish an assistance fund with an initial pledge of $2 billion to help developing countries implement a global sustainable development agenda over the next 15 years. The SDGs will replace UN’s historic Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which are going to expire at the end of this year. In Afghanistan, UNDP in partnership with the Afghanistan Centre at Kabul University and Saba Television is organising a Social Good Summit on September 28th where university students, civil society activists, development practitioners and government representatives will engage in discussions on the SDGs.

The adoption ceremony was presided over by Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who stressed the successes of the MDGSs and the need for the full implementation of the new Agenda.

I am proud to say that from the start, the European Union has been strongly committed to reaching an ambitious outcome, with a universal agenda for all countries, rich and poor alike, fully integrating the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainability. Now we must use the goals to transform the world.

The rallying call for the SDGs and the big promise that we are making in signing up to them is that, this time we will “leave no one behind”.

Business leaders also heard from the President of the 70th session of the General Assembly on how the new goals need to be communicated to professional communities worldwide. “It conveys the urgency of climate action”.

Other nations deemed likely to have trouble meeting the goals were Greece, Chile, Hungary, Turkey and Mexico, challenged by income gaps, lack of education, weak infrastructure, gender inequality, crime or extreme poverty, the German study said.

The new set of goals reflects how the global economy, and global challenges, have changed over the past 15 years.

“The 2030 Agenda compels us to look beyond national boundaries and short-term interests and act in solidarity for the long-term”. We all know this is wrong, it’s tragic and it’s totally unnecessary. We must rally businesses and entrepreneurs.

The argument is that we must now turn our attention to the issue of implementation and it is through this process that the masses of people at the national levels will become aware and involved. We must listen to scientists and academia. “Most important, we must set to work – now”, added the Secretary-General. The current system is a reflection of the global power structure after World War II when the United Nations was founded. Governments agreed on a visionary Charter dedicated to “We the Peoples”.

“You can not launch these goals and in parallel deny a safe and legal route to refugees, a life with dignity”, Amnesty’s Salil Shetty added.

“Sustainable development can not be realized without peace”.

“We recognize the need to reduce inequalities and to protect our common home by changing unsustainable patterns of consumption and production”. How do we get returns on the over three years of human and financial resources which have gone into the negotiations?

On September 25, heads of state from around the world gathered in New York to unveil the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).