New century, new challenges
On December 17, 1998, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 53/202, in which it decided to convene the Millennium Summit as an integral part of the United Nations Millennium Assembly. On 15 March 2000, the General Assembly adopted resolution 54/254, in which it decided that the Summit would be held from 6 to 8 September 2000, under the overall theme of “The United Nations in the Twenty-first Century”.
In preparation for this meeting, Kofi Annan issued a report entitled “We the Peoples: The Role of the United Nations in the Twenty-First Century,” in which he expressed the hope “that their leaders, meeting at the Millennium Summit, can outline the major challenges ahead and take appropriate action.
The Millennium Summit began its work on September 6, 2000. One of the outcomes of the summit was the signing of the Millennium Declaration, in which UN member states made various commitments described in the Millennium Development Goals. In particular, the Millennium Summit, held from 6 to 8 September 2000 at the United Nations headquarters in New York, was the largest gathering of heads of state and government of all time at the time. It culminated in the adoption by 189 Member States of the Millennium Declaration, which outlined eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs):
Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education.
Goal 3. Promote gender equality and empower women.
Goal 4. Reduction of child mortality.
Goal 5 . Improve maternal health care.
Goal 6. Combat HIV, malaria, and other diseases.
Goal 7. Ensure environmental sustainability.
Goal 8. Develop a global partnership for development.