Africare President Speaks on Millennium Development Goals at United Nations Conference

NEW YORK, NY, November 2006 — Nearly 400 prominent leaders and other organizational representatives from around the globe attended a summit on “common humanity,” addressing the Millennium Development Goals, at the United Nations in New York City in late November. Africare President Julius E. Coles joined the conference as a featured speaker on the Freedom and Development panel. His message mirrored that of the summit: to “keep the promise” and live up to the U.N. Millennium Declaration made in September 2000.

“Men and women have the right to live their lives and to raise their children in dignity, free from hunger and from the fear of violence, oppression and injustice,” Coles quoted directly from Millennium Declaration Resolution in his speech at the conference. He went on to say, “I believe that it will be essential for the countries of the world to take a giant leap to promote the freedoms called for in this declaration if the nations of the world are to come close to meeting these goals.”

The eight goals referred to by Coles are from the Millennium Declaration Resolution: part of an historic effort to unite the world around issues of global concern. The Millennium Development Goals target a wide range of poverty-related matters, including, hunger, HIV/AIDs and gender equality. Year 2015 was set as the benchmark date to accomplish those goals.

The resolution was agreed upon by all the world’s countries and leading development institutions. Six years later, leaders united at the Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technologies and Development Conference in New York to reaffirm that promise.

“While progress has been made in achieving these universal values, much remains to be done before we can truly say that these values have been fully incorporated into the political systems of all the countries in the global community,” noted Coles.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan agreed, in his statement, about the potential of the UN goals.

"We will have time to reach the Millennium Development Goals,” said Annan. “But only if we break with business as usual. We cannot win overnight. Success will require sustained action across the entire decade between now and the deadline.”

According to a 2006 Report of the Millennium Development Goals, the percentage of the world's developing population living in extreme poverty dropped 28% from 1990 to 2002. However, that same report noted that poverty rates in North Africa remained almost unchanged; and while the poverty in general decreased in Sub-Saharan Africa, one level — the "extreme poverty rate" — affected 140 million more people. Africa remains one of the continents of concern as efforts to eradicate poverty continue.

Coles commented that that Africare remains dedicated to seeing those goals become a reality on the African continent. Currently, Africare manages 150 development programs that match each of the eight Millennium Goals:

1. Eradicate Poverty and extreme hunger
2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
8. Develop a global partnership for development

Africare has delivered aid to the Africa through a variety of development and relief programs and invested over $592 million in development assistance and relief to the continent since 1970.

To learn more about the UN Millenium Goals, and for more information on the conference (including webcasts), visit http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/

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