China, together with the United Nations, will examine its progress toward meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) March 25 to 27 during a high level international conference on MDGs, according to the United Nations senior official in Beijing Tuesday.  

Khalid Malik, resident representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), said a report on China's performance and challenges on meeting MDGs will be published at the meeting.

The main topics of the meeting are poverty, development and equality, health, AIDS, environmental sustainability, and regional and global cooperation.

Malik said that Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan, senior UN officials and ministers of Asian-Pacific nations will attend the meeting.

The MDGs grew out of a gathering of 189 world leaders at the United Nations in September 2000, when attendees proclaimed the Millennium Declaration.

This statement gave voice to the values shared by all member nations and resulted in a commitment by those nations to halve global poverty by 2015.

The eight MDGs are: eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality and empower women, reduce child mortality, improve material health, combat HIV/ AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensure environmental sustainability, and develop a global partnership for development.

(Xinhua News Agency March 17, 2004)