500 Days of Action

This week I had the honour of spending a special morning at UN Headquarters in New York with not just one but 500 energetic and dedicated young people -- not least among them inspirational leader and education advocate Malala Yousafzai.

We came together at UN Headquarters in New York to mark 500 days until the conclusion of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – the global targets for ending extreme poverty, hunger and disease.

With the help of moderator Amy Robach of ABC News, Malala and I took questions from the crowd and from those submitted by hundreds of social media users from more than 20 countries, including on LinkedIn, about keeping up momentum to achieve the MDGs. We discussed how to improve access to education, ensure the rights of girls, take action on climate change and also what each of us can do in our daily lives to make a real difference.

Many social media followers wanted to know about the current crises in the world, including Gaza, Iraq, Syria, the Central African Republic, Ukraine and now the Ebola virus. With so much going on, they asked how all of these crises affect our efforts to achieve the MDGs.

These crises are always on my mind and the UN is working extremely hard to try to find solutions to these complex conflicts.

Aside from the terrible toll on people of these conflicts, they are also having a devastating impact on development. When a place or country is hit by conflict, schools have to close. Vaccination campaigns have to stop. Electricity lines are interrupted and generators are stolen, so hospitals don’t have the power to stay open. Infectious diseases spread unchecked. Mothers have no safe place to deliver their babies.

Peace and stability are essential to development. Without peace, businesses won’t invest, economies can’t flourish, people can’t work, parents can’t feed their children – the cycle goes on. That’s why we are working so hard for both peace and development. They are two sides of the same coin.

There are many fires raging around the world today, but through the MDGs there also burns a flame of hope. The Goals have proved to be the most successful anti-poverty push in history, already improving the lives of millions.

We still have a long way to go and a big job ahead of us to lift every individual out of poverty and inequality. Yet, through the passion and drive of the young people I met this week, I was reminded of the power of young people to change the world -- not just as the leaders of tomorrow but through actions today.

Giving Malala – the most famous and hard-working student in the world and an inspiration to young people – the gift of a backpack and supplies for her studies.

Find out more about the Millennium Development Goals

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