UNAIDS (New York) - March 20, 2002

The four-day conference, which opened on Monday, was expected to bring together more than 5,000 world leaders, international personalities, and representatives of the private sector, development banks and agencies along with the civil society. It seeks to create a powerful momentum for mobilizing resources from public and private sources for economic development and poverty reduction.

"Here in Monterrey is where the rubber hits the road," Mr. Malloch Brown said.

"If we are successful this week, it gives us the momentum to go to Johannesburg some months from now and actually start to present action plans around the development goals and secure the partnership of developing countries own contributions, those of the private sector, of non-governmental organizations and others."

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Mr. Malloch Brown said it is important not to exclude countries with so-called poor performance in human rights and democracy. Instead, he added, "we need to include them in capacity building for them to access additional donor funds, using this as a carrot for change. "By leaving the bad performance countries out of the international community, he said, "we risk that in their isolation, their performance will be further worsened."

During a side event that was organized by UNDP on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General on the MDGs, said there are three unusual phenomena about the world today. First, the world has never before experienced the current levels of economic wealth and standard of living. The MDGs are therefore utterly possible to reach. Second, the world has been asleep for the last 20 years by letting impoverished countries suffer from debt and poverty. Third, he added, "we are fortunately at a turning point."

"The gap between the rich and the poor is now so shocking," said Mr. Sachs, "that the international community can't ignore it any longer. Epidemic diseases like malaria and HIV/AIDS are roaring. All of this, combined with the September 11 attacks, have woken up countries. The numbers are not there yet but the US and the EU have already taken small steps."

During the event, which took place on the first day of the conference and was attended by more than 100 people, Mr. Malloch Brown pointed out that the MDGs are not intended to put additional administrative tasks on the developing countries. Rather, he said, they are a way of aligning political energy and public support for development.

"We are able to find out how far we have come, what we have achieved, which countries need special attention and in which areas," said Mr. Malloch Brown.

"But it is worth noting that the global MDG campaign is not to be driven mainly by the UN but instead by the civil society at the country level.

"We hope to mainstream the development dialogue even in the industrialized countries, instead of it being a marginalized issue as it is now."

For further information, please contact Erin Trowbridge, UNDP's Communications Office.
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