UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed on Monday the proposed outreach centers throughout South-East Asia in an effort to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
"The new Center, and its local and regional affiliates, will provide continuity for your initiatives," Ban said in a video address to a meeting on achieving the MDGs held by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Bangkok, capital of Thailand.
"They will also serve as key MDG hubs, promoting development activities throughout the region," he noted, hoping "they will help step-up the pace, and ensure that all South East Asia reaches the goals in full, and on time."
The UN chief said South-East Asia has made progress in reducing the number of people living in extreme poverty and the number of children who die of preventable causes.
However, he continued in the message, a copy of which was also released by his spokesperson office at the UN Headquarters in New York, progress is uneven, both between countries and across indicators.
Ban stressed that such initiatives as the current meeting and the Center for Excellence could help close the gaps, by bringing together policy-makers, experts and representatives of civil society to formulate fresh approaches to existing challenges and to broaden MDG awareness and outreach.
"The Millennium Development Goals are no mere aspirations," he concluded. "They are commitments -- sacred vows to the poorest, most vulnerable sections of humanity. Let us keep our promises. Let us build a world we can all be proud of."
Source:Xinhua
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