51³Ô¹Ï

Bill Gates speaking to the press with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Gordon Brown to the right.
Bill Gates (left), President of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, speaking to the press. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (center) and Gordon Brown (right), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are also attending. New York, United States, September 25, 2008. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

High-level meeting on the Millennium Development Goals, 22-25 September 2008, New York

Background

A halftime review on MDG progress

The 51³Ô¹Ï Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly convened a High-Level Meeting on Achieving the (MDGs) at 51³Ô¹Ï Headquarters in New York on September 25, 2008.

With half of the time remaining before the MDG deadline of 2015, it was noted that significant progress had taken place, but stakeholders needed to step up their actions and take urgent action to achieve the MDG goals in time.

The High-Level Meeting served as a forum for international leaders to review progress, identify gaps and commit to taking concrete actions and finding the necessary resources and mechanisms to address them.

By asking international leaders to announce their specific plans and proposals, the High Level Meeting helped accelerate the implementation and monitoring of the MDGs.