The Acting Spanish President, Jose Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, cited the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as the key focus of his governments development and cooperation policies, while giving his inaugural speech in the Spanish Parliament yesterday.
Barcelona, March 8, 2010- 2010 is a key year in the fight against poverty. As one of the four European Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Committed Cities, Barcelona has redoubled its efforts to raise awareness among its citizens of the importance of the MDGs and the need for both rich and poor countries to achieve them.
Over the past two days, high-level ministers, representatives of international organizations and several non-government and civil society organizations gathered at the Madrid High Level Meeting on Food Security for All. The event, hosted by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero was held to discuss the challenges to presented by soaring food prices, ways to stimulate agricultural development and food production and to address obstacles to food access.
High-Level Meeting on Food Security for All – January 26-27, 2009, Madrid
The FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation) held the High-Level Conference on World FoodSecurity: The Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy in Rome on June 3-5, 2008.Throughout the three days of events, 42 Heads of State and Government, 100 high-level Ministersand 60 non-governmental and civil society organizations from 181 member countries discussed thechallenges that climate change, bioenergy and soaring food prices pose to world food security and devised ways to safeguard the world’s most vulnerable populations.
Barcelona, 4th of October 2008.- The Spanish Millennium Campaign today participated in the Catalan Cooperation Party organized by the Catalan Government and the Catalan Cooperation Agency. This event brings together all the development cooperation actors and institutions in Catalonia, including NGOs, local governments, trade unions, universities and immigrant associations, to show citizens what is being done in Catalonia on the fight against poverty and the achievement of the MDGs and to raise awareness about these issues.
Madrid 26th October 2008 - After the close of the High-Level Meeting on the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs) in New York, the Spanish Alliance Against Poverty evaluated the results and announced mobilizations for October 17, under the Rebélate contra la Pobreza slogan.
When evaluating the progress made at the Meeting, the Spanish Alliance representatives agreed with the UN Secretary General’s remarks pointing out the need to shift into high gear for an aggressive push to get the world on track to reach the Goals by the target date of 2015.
In the run up to the UN High level Event (HLE) on the MDGs on Sept 25th, the Spanish Alliance Against Poverty, a broad coalition of more than 100 civil society organizations in Spain, handed over a suitcase packed with urgent demands to the Spanish Secretary of State for Development and Cooperation, Ms. Soraya Rodriguez. The suitcase was filled with relevant documents and policy demands such as more and better aid, debt relief, countries, coherence of politics and fair trade. A sticker on the suitcases said “Urgent departure. Flight MDG 2015.
The President of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP), Pedro Castro, and the UN Millennium Campaign Coordinator in Spain, Marina Navarro, signed today a collaboration agreement to reinforce the role of the Spanish Local Governments on the promotion of the MDGs.
This agreement contributes to the consolidation of the strategic alliance between the UN Millennium Campaign and the FEMP, and opens a new phase of joint work and closer collaboration.
8 Ways to Change the World: Local Authorities Guide
Download the Brochure (pdf)
Concrete proposals for Local Authorities both from the North and the South to promote the MDGs at the local level.
