The Council held an exchange of views in preparation for the United Nations high-level plenary meeting to be held in New York from 20 to 22 September to review implementation of the UN's millennium development goals (MDGs).
It approved conclusions setting out the EU position for the meeting (see doc. 1083/10).
The MDGs constitute the first-ever set of shared development goals agreed at international level. World leaders agreed in 2000 to take decisive action to combat world poverty in its different dimensions by 2015, using time-bound and measurable targets. With only five years remaining until the deadline, the aim of the New York meeting will be to provide a comprehensive review of successes and shortcomings, and to agree on concrete action to speed up progress.
The EU has doubled its official development assistance since 2000 in promoting the MDGs. In 2009 it provided EUR 49 billion, more than half the total of global development aid. An EU action plan on gender equality and women's empowerment in development is attached to the Council conclusions.