Pacific island countries and UN discuss maintaining development amid global crisis
13 Mar 2009
Bangkok (UN/ESCAP Information Services) – What are the effects of the current economic crisis on Pacific Island States? How will that impinge on their efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)? These are the focuses of an international conference being held 16-20 March 2009 on Denarau Island, Fiji.
Pacific island countries and UN discuss maintaining development amid global crisis
ESCAP/ADB/UNDP workshop on MDGs to take place in
The Pacific MDG Workshop: Taking Stock, Emerging Issues and Way Forward is being organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for
The MDGs are a group of eight development goals - ranging from reducing poverty and hunger to combating HIV/AIDS and malaria– that leaders of all countries have agreed to achieve by the year 2015.
The workshop will focus on protecting progress made in the sub-region from the current global economic crisis, and identifying obstacles that stand in the way of meeting the MDGs.
The progress towards achieving the MDGs has been less than impressive in the Pacific. While the sub-region is meeting some targets such as reducing tuberculosis, and is expected to achieve gender parity in secondary schools, very little progress has been made on other goals such as combating HIV/AIDS and malaria, or improving access to water and sanitation.
The workshop will review the status of the MDGs in the sub-region and the effects of the current economic crisis on it. Participants will discuss country strategies and policy options for governments to address the food and fuel crisis, climate change and the global economic slowdown; identify constraints and support measures needed to accelerate progress on achieving the MDGs as only six years are left to 2015; explore development partners’ support for Pacific countries; and exchange views on the 2009 Asia-Pacific Regional MDG report that ESCAP, ADB and UNDP are preparing.
Source:UNESCAP
