UN General Assembly
2008

Eight years ago in this very Hall, we, the leaders of the world, solemnly adopted the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Three years ago, we reviewed the Goals to assess the progress made thus far. We realized 08-51570 26 that the Goals were in danger of not being attained by the year 2015, and we all acknowledged that we would be able to achieve them only through a considerable increase in our efforts. Have we been able to deliver on those promises and commitments? I am afraid that we have not. In fact, the situation is more complex now than it was three years ago. We are facing a global food crisis, a global economic crisis and a global security crisis, with war and political hostilities spreading throughout the globe. In spite of efforts to reduce the divisions between the rich and the poor, the progress we have made so far on the MDGs has fallen far short of the targets we established. Those global crises are of such importance that they are threatening to delay the achievement of the