Halfway to 2015 and MDGs

“It is only seven years until we are to meet the Millennium Development Goals. But we will not succeed unless we act urgently and with new strength”, Norway’s Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg says. Together with other world leaders Prime Minister Stoltenberg joined a new declaration of commitment to meet the MDGs.

British Prime Minister Mr. Gordon Brown presented the declaration and called for a new partnership in order to ensure education for all children, put an end to world poverty, protect the environment and eradicate diseases. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India, Prime Minister Romano Prodi of Italy, President Thabo Mbeki of South-Afrika and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany are among the leaders who have given their support to the commitment.

 

“We made a commitment to follow up the eight MDGs when we signed the declaration in 2000. Now the same countries must take responsibility to actually keep our promises”, Prime Minister Stoltenberg says. The Prime Minister signed the MDG declaration for Norway in 2000.

The Norwegian Government has decided to contribute in a special way to achieve the MDG No. 4 and 5 on reducing child and maternal mortality by 2015, by contributing NOK 800 million this year.

The Prime Minister has also initiated a global business plan to accelerate the progress towards Millennium Goals No 4 and 5, which will be launched this fall.  The plan will contribute to improve and coordinate the process to achieve results as a basis for mobilizing additional resources. The Norwegian Government has already established partnerships with several large countries to facilitate their plans to reach MDG 4&5.