The Azerbaijan State News Agency

WORLD

WORLD LEADERS MEET FOR UN DEVELOPMENT GOALS TALKS

21.09.2010 [22:34]
Print
A⁺ A^-

Baku, September 21 (AZERTAC). World leaders are meeting at the United Nations in New York for the second day of talks on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Zimbabwe`s President Robert Mugabe and Afghan President Hamid Karzai are among those addressing the summit.

The goals, created in 2000, aim to reduce poverty and hunger, and improve health standards around the world.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has insisted the goals can be achieved.

In his opening speech on Monday to more than 140 world leaders, Mr. Ban said the global economic downturn was no reason to abandon the targets and that they "should not balance budgets on the backs of the poor".

He said the MDGs had had a "transformative impact" but that there was much more to do if they were to be met by the 2015 deadline.