HH Sheikha Moza at the UN for MDG meeting

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HH Sheikha Moza at the UN for MDG meeting


New York, United States of America, 15 April 2011

At UN Headquarters in New York, a UN MDG Advocacy Group Health and Education Cluster meeting was chaired by cluster co-facilitators Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, and Mr. Ray Chambers, United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Malaria. MDG Advocate Ambassador Dho Young-shim, Chairperson, UNWTO ST-EP Foundation participated, as well as Mr. Philippe Douste Blazy, H.E. Jan Eliasson, and Dr. Jeffrey Sachs by teleconference.

The meeting focused on health and education concept papers submitted by the co-facilitators which will be used to develop an UN MDG Advocacy Group Action Plan. Innovative financing for education and the Global Fund for Education to close the $20billion funding gap between the $16billion provided and $36billion needed to have all 67million out of school children enrolled was a major focus. With recent budget cuts in the USA along with the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan, ODA totals are expected to drop significantly at a time when conflicts in the Middle East, such as in Libya and Yemen, will increase the numbers of out of school children.

In her comments, Ambassador Dho reiterated about Korea’s experience in her lifetime with education as the key to poverty elimination, and expressed appreciation for H.H. Her Highness's leadership to help achieve MDG 2.