Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
BBC News - September 14, 2007
Mark Doyle
The eight internationally-declared goals, on reducing poverty and improving life chances, were set in 2000 for achievement by 2015.
But the UN says that halfway to the deadline, sub-Saharan Africa is unlikely to meet a single goal.
UN officials say this meeting on a single focused topic is unprecedented.
Mr Ban has invited the heads of some of the world's top development finance agencies.
The president of the World Bank, leaders from the IMF, the European Union and the African Union are being invited, as well as the heads of the African and Islamic Development Banks.
On current form, the UN says, sub-Saharan Africa as a region will not meet any of the poverty-busting goals set to be achieved by the year 2015 - nor the benchmarks on education, health, and women's empowerment.
The latest UN assessments say there have been some successes, for example a big increase in primary school enrolment in east Africa, and cuts in malaria rates in Niger and Zambia.
Unfulfilled promises
However as a whole, the UN says, development agencies have to co-ordinate better and, crucially, the rich world, will have to keep promises it made in 2005 to double aid to Africa.
These promises were made with much fanfare during a summit of rich countries hosted by the then British Prime Minister Tony Blair. But according to the UN, development assistance from rich countries actually fell between 2005 and 2006.
The development agency bosses meeting in New York may be able to give a boost to aid programmes, or at least co-ordinate them better. But their influence is still limited.
Some economists say changes in the trade policies of rich countries may be more important than aid.
The subsidising of farmers in rich countries, for example, is particularly damaging to developing countries because it stops farmers in those poor nations from competing on equal terms.
And many Africans say poverty will not be reduced by outside actors but by more transparency and honesty from their own leaders.
THE EIGHT GOALS
1 Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2 Achieve universal primary education
3 Promote gender equality and empower women
4 Reduce child mortality
5 Improve maternal health
6 Combat HIV/Aids, malaria, and other diseases
7 Ensure environmental sustainability
8 Develop a global partnership for development
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