Indonesia to host Asia Pacific special ministerial meeting on MDGs progress

Indonesia will host a special ministerial meeting to review efforts to comply with MDGs ( Millennium Development Goals) among countries in Asia pacific region on Aug. 3-4, a senior official said here on Friday.

Gafur Dharmaputra, director of Economic Development and Environment Affairs of the Foreign Ministry, told reporters that 15 of 30 Asia Pacific countries invited to attend the meeting had confirmed to send their foreign ministers and senior officials to attend the meeting.

"Besides reviewing the progress of MGDs efforts in each country, delegations attending the meeting will seek innovations in channeling the Official Development Assistance (ODA) financing innovation committed by donor countries following the financial crisis in donor countries,"Gafur said.

Besides those delegations, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the United nations Development Program ( UNDP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), will send their representatives to attend the meeting, Gafur said.

The result of review conducted in the meeting will be brought to the United Nations (UN) MDGs meeting scheduled on Sept. 20 to 22 in New York, according to Gafur.

The MDGs are the most broadly supported, comprehensive and specific development goals the world has ever agreed upon. Adopted in 2000, set to be achieved by 2015, it includes eight goals and targets that consisted of income poverty eradication, hunger, maternal and child mortality, disease, inadequate shelter, gender inequality, environmental degradation and the Global Partnership for Development.

Source: Xinhua