With almost a month left before the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Review +10 Summit in New York, civil society organizations (CSOs) led by the United Nations Civil Society Advisory Committee (UN-CSAC), Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO) and Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) held a three-day consultation on August 2-4 with Philippine government officials, the UN and development partners to come up with strategies to fast-track the achievement of the MDGs.

President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III's first foreign trip could be to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York next month.
“That is the one I am recommending, attending the UN General Assembly because this is the first time for (President Aquino) to meet with the world leaders, to speak before a world assembly,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo told the Manila Bulletin in an interview.

The President is in place, now the real work begins. Thus reminded the United Nations Millennium Campaign and its partner civic organizations, following the well-received inaugural address of President Benigno Simeon Aquino III last June 30.
“It was good to see the Filipinos hopeful and in high spirits during the inauguration, especially when the 15th President of the Philippines talked about good governance as a catalyst for improving education, poverty levels, investor relations and employment levels,” said Jacqui Badcock, UN Resident Coordinator.

On the eve of the Special Ministerial Meeting for MDG Review in Asia and the Pacific, significant progress has been achieved across the region on several of the Millennium Development Goals, including providing access to primary school for all children, reducing gender disparities in education and stemming the spread of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.

G-8/G-20 pledge important new commitments to world's poorest, but remain silent on past unmet promises

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you very much for joining us.

Today, we are releasing the 2010 Millennium Development Goals Report. It pulls together the latest analysis and data from more than 25 United Nations and international agencies around the world.

As the report shows, despite the financial crisis, the food crisis, the fuel crisis, the world is still making progress on reducing poverty, albeit more slowly. The overall poverty rate is expected to fall to 15 per cent by 2015. That means about 920 million people will be living below the international poverty line. That is half the number in 1990.

The demands and expectations of citizens across continents and countries, made visible and audible throughout 2010, will culminate in the "Stand Up 2010" mobilization. Stand Up 2010 will take place over three days beginning Friday September 17th till Sunday 19th.

We will spare no effort to free our fellow men, women and children from the abject and dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty, to which more than a billion of them are currently subjected. We are committed to making the right to development a reality for everyone and to freeing the entire human race from want.