China's Assistant Foreign Minister Shen Guofang said in Beijing Saturday that China has full confidence in reaching the Millennium Development Goals.

 

Shen made the remarks at the closing ceremony of the three-day High-Level International Conference on the Millennium Development Goals.

 

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) originated at the Millennium Summit held at the headquarters of the United Nations in September 2000, when heads of state and government from over 100 UN member countries adopted the Millennium Declaration, making a commitment to meet the goals by the end of 2015.

 

Shen said the MDGs have become a key yardstick measuring countries' efforts in coping with challenges of globalization and all sectors of society should join efforts in reaching the goals.

 

According to the "Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): China's Progress" report published by the Office of the Resident UN Coordinator in China on Thursday at the conference, China has made enormous progress toward achieving its MDGs and China will probably achieve most of the United Nations-set goals of poverty reduction and social development by 2015.

 

Shen also urged developed countries as well as the United Nations to take concrete actions to create good international environment for developing countries to reach the MDGs.

 

Also at the conference, Wang Maolin, vice chairman of the law committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), calls for the establishment of a new type of global partnership to ensure the smooth achievements of MDGs.

 

Wang said in order to achieve the MDGs, many big and pressing problems must be solved. "To ensure the development, it is one of our most important mission to forge a new type of global partnership and do a good job in cooperation between international economies and various regions."

 

In today's world, all sides should take the building of a new and harmonious global partnership as a strategic measure for propelling peace and development, which will be identified and pushed by all the countries in the world, said Wang, who is also president of the China International Institute of Multinational Corporations.

 

Wang suggested that the new type of partnership should be "for realizing the strategic goals of common development of mankind," "constructive and responsible," "featuring equality and credibility," "in harmony with the demand of the sustainable development," and "benefiting all sides."

 

For forging such a partnership, the United Nations, governments, business circle and non-governmental organizations should play their active roles, especially the United Nations should a good job of organization and coordination, he said.

 

He said along with its rise in the world, China will play its role more actively in forging an international partnership.

 

The MDGs includes eight items that most countries aimed to complete by the year 2015. They are: to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, to achieve universal primary education, to promote gender equality and empower women, to reduce child mortality, to improve maternal health, to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, to ensure environmental sustainability, and to develop a global partnership for development.

 

(Xinhua News Agency March 28, 2004)