Ban discusses fair development financing with UN Special Advocate

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon held talks today with a series of senior national officials on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a day after the United Nations wrapped up a three-day summit measuring the progress towards the eight targets for overcoming various social and economic ills.

Mr. Ban met Princess Maxima of the Netherlands, his Special Advocate for Inclusive Financing for Development, and they discussed the equitable distribution of resources to accelerate the achievement of the MDGs.

Princess Maxima also presented the Secretary-General with the annual report of her work as the Special Advocate, according to information released by a spokesperson for Mr. Ban.

The UN chief noted that the action plan contained in the outcome document adopted at the end of the UN summit this week specified the need to promote inclusive financing, which, he said, had a clear impact on the world’s poorest people.

The Secretary-General also met Dutch Prime Minister Jan Pieter Balkenende and their talks centred on the MDG summit as well.

The summit outcome document expressed concern that progress has fallen far short of what is needed to for the achievement of the MDGs, but voiced confidence that with renewed global commitment the targets to slash hunger, poverty, disease and a host of other social ills can still be achieved by 2015.

Mr. Ban and Mr. Balkenende also discussed the start of direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, the situation in Sudan, the Netherlands’ engagement in Afghanistan, and the work of the Group of 20 finance ministers and central bank governors established to bring together key industrialized and developing economies.

In addition Mr. Ban had discussions with Sheikh Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince of Bahrain.

The Secretary-General commended Bahrain's efforts on disaster risk reduction. Their conversation also touched on the MDG summit and expectations for the forthcoming climate change conference in Mexico.

Mr. Ban also met with the Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Emir of Qatar for a discussion on the situation in Sudan during which the Secretary-General thanked the Emir for Qatar’s continued efforts to bring peace to Darfur through the Doha process.

They touched on the situation in Yemen, where Qatar has been actively involved in seeking a solution to the conflict there, and reviewed the humanitarian situation in Gaza.