The international development community came together in a big way on Friday to support the work of the United Nations as it marked the 1,000-day milestone leading to the target date to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), eight goals embraced by governments and the UN to tackle some of the world’s biggest problems.
More than 80 organizations participated in Momentum1000, a 1,000-minute digital rally to highlight the progress that has been made in lifting people out of poverty, reducing child and maternal deaths, fighting AIDS and malaria, and much more.
Partners from the UN, non-governmental organizations, government, the media, and the private sector joined individuals and leading voices including Queen Rania and Ambassador Susan Rice to discuss how far we’ve come and why we need to do everything we can to keep the #MDGmomentum going.
Thanks to the passion of everyone around the world who took part in the rally, the MDGs were in the global spotlight on Friday. But we can’t let this be the end of the conversation. As UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon wrote, “The 1,000-day mark should be a call to action to a global movement from governments to the grassroots who have been so critical to success.”
Working together over the next 1,000 days and beyond, we can make a positive difference in millions of lives. That’s what #MDGmomentum is all about. In case you missed it, here’s a Storify of the tweets from the digital media rally: