MDGs: more momentum needed

RWANDA

With only three years to the deadline for Millennium Development Goals, more momentum is needed to achieve them, says Rwandan President Paul Kagame.

President Kagame was addressing theUN General Assembly in New York, where he co-chaired the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) Advocacy Group with Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. Convened by Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon.

With the deadline just three years and three months away, many of the millennium development goals are yet to be fulfilled especially in many developing countries, he said. 

President Kagame praised the new momentum and new ideas in addition to the work that has been done. He emphasized that improvements had been registered in terms of organization and mobilization in many countries.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard delved into the issue of agricultural productivity, one of the things she said could be attained within one season.

President Kagame echoed his co-chair’s remarks, saying some of the issues that need to be addressed are in a real sense simple, but require to a large extent the participation of citizens.

The MDGs are eight development outlined in September 2000 by 193 UN member states. The states agreed to achieve the goals by the year 2015.

According to the national institute of statistics of Rwanda, five of the MDGs are well on their way to attainment in Rwanda. These include; access to universal primary education, promotion of gender equality and women empowerment, reduction of maternal and child mortality rates and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.