Public Conference

BAN KI-MOON
UNITAR
BAN KI-MOON, United Nations Secretary-General

Are the MDGS doomed to fail?

UN Secretary-General addressed the Geneva public at the Palais des Naitons on 29 April 2008:

"I can see many challenges ahead for myself and the United Nations to make this world a peaceful place. But this is not only me. I am only one of you. Without your support, my mission cannot be achieved".

Tuesday, 29 April 2008 | 4:00 p.m.

Palais des Nations; Assembly Hall

To watch the video archive of the lecture, please click here.

To read Ban Ki-moon's speech, please click here

To read Ban Ki-moon's biography, please click here


The GLS initiative was conceived in order to raise public awareness on the most urgent global challenges. The topic of the inaugural lecture was chosen so as to launch a debate on the global agenda that enjoys a broad consensus around the world – MDGs.

The Secretary-General agreed to become the first honorary speaker to express his views on this urgent topic and to confirm the timeliness of our endeavor.

The world community is half way to the MDGs deadline. An intermediary report, issued in September 2007, highlighted the successes that had been realized and the problems that were still to be resolved. These mixed results have provoked a heated debate on what the real chances are for MDGs to be met. The food crisis threatens some of the achievements that have been made and points to the urgency of a common strategy to be adopted by global players. The Secretary-General agreed to participate in the Lecture, where he presented his personal assessment of the situation, answered questions from the audience and shared his ideas on the global responses required.

Background documents

Progress on MDGs
Food Crisis and Poverty Reduction
Official Development Assistance and policy reforms to achieve the MDGs

What the experts say

DISCLAIMER
The responsibility for opinions in the documents cited on this page rests solely with their authors. The citation of these documents does not constitute an endorsement by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research neither by the organizers or sponsors of the Geneva Lecture Series.

 

Progress on MDGs
Food Crisis and Poverty Reduction
  • Jeffrey D. Sachs (Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, a Special Adviser to United Nations Secretary-General on the Millennium Development Goals)
    “A New Deal for Poor Farmers” (Project Syndicate, May 2008)
  • Josef E. Stiglitz (professor of economics at Columbia University, 2001 Nobel Prize in economics)
    “Scarcity in an Age of Plenty” (Project Syndicate, June 2008)
Official Development Assistance and policy reforms to achieve MDGs

 

What the media say

DISCLAIMER
The responsibility for opinions in the documents cited on this page rests solely with their authors. The citation of these documents does not constitute an endorsement by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research neither by the organizers or sponsors of the Geneva Lecture Series.

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