L’Italia è «sempre più lontana» dal rispetto dei propri impegni per raggiungere gli Obiettivi del Millennio e «sempre meno credibile» ai tavoli internazionali. Per questo, «è auspicabile che il nuovo governo dia un segno di novità e di modernità». A bacchettare i risultati delle politiche allo sviluppo italiane, dopo la pubblicazione dei dati Ocse-Dac 2007 sull’Aiuto pubblico allo sviluppo (Aps), è la Campagna Onu del Millennio.

This fall, the Chair of the United Cities and Local Governments Millennium Development Goals Committee, the city of Rome, will award the second Millennium Cities Prize. The prize will be awarded to cities that distinguished themselves in pursuing the Millennium Development Goals and targets through city-wide and participatory strategic plans aimed at improving the lives of their poorest citizens. Two winners will be selected – a city/local government from the South and one from the North.

Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), including farmers, workers, women’s, faith-based and students’ groups and organizations, have issued a statement declaring that it is clear more than ever, that the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) are Europe’s means of locking-in the fundamentally unequal relationships between Africa and Europe. Viewed from Africa, this is nothing less than, “re-colonisation.”

Every minute a woman dies due to complications in pregnancy or
childbirth, adding up to half a million women dying every year. Another
10-15 million women suffer serious or long-lasting illnesses or
disabilities.

“No woman should die giving life,” said UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid.
“To have a healthy society, you have to have healthy mothers.”

In many countries, however, progress in maternal health has been slow.
In some, the situation has actually deteriorated over the last 20 years.

Last Week the Italian Millennium Campaign, and the top three Italian Trade Union—CGIL, CISL and UIL—signed a Memorandum of Understanding to support the Millennium Development Goals advocacy and mobilization activities in Lombardy, one of Italy biggest regions.

Yesterday, the United Nations Millennium Campaign celebrated the opening of the new European regional office in Rome with a press conference and a cocktail party attended by key Millennium Campaign partners.

The successful opening event reinforced widespread support for the Millennium Campaign amongst the media, Civil Society Organizations, UN agencies, politicians and other significant Millennium Campaign Partners.

From December 7th to 9th, more than 70 European and African leaders met in Lisbon, Portugal, to attend the EU-Africa Summit. Seven years after the Cairo summit, the Lisbon event ended with an ambitious action plan and a promise to meet again in 2010, but wasn’t able to tackle key issues such as Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) and human rights.

Over 43.7 million people, in 127 countries have broken the Guinness World Record – set last year at 23.5 million – for the largest number of people to “STAND UP AGAINST POVERTY” in 24 hours. Read Full Press Release »

From all parts of the world, millions stood and spoke out to demand a more urgent political response to the growing crisis of global poverty and inequality. They called on their world leaders to keep their commitments made in the Millennium Development Goals.