Ambassador Marie-Louise Overvad,
Permanent Representative of Denmark to
the United Nations Office and other
International Organizations in Geneva
presented the MDG3 torch to UNAIDS
Executive Director Dr Peter Piot.UNAIDS Executive Director Dr Peter Piot received one of the MDG3 Torches on Thursday 26 June in Geneva as part of a campaign organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark intended to ensure commitment from participants to the third Millennium Development Goal (MDG3): Promote gender equality and empower women.
The campaign, entitled The MDG3 Champion Torch: “To Do Something Extra”, was launched on 7 March 2008 in Copenhagen. In the run-up to the United Nations High-level MDG meeting, which will take place on 25 September 2008, more than 100 Torches in support of the MDG3 are to travel around the world.
Recipients of the MDG3 Torch are representatives from government, private sector, civil society, media, individuals from North and South, and international organizations. Each MDG3 Torch Bearer will commit “To Do Something Extra” in support of gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.
At the UN High-level MDG meeting the collected commitments will be presented to the United Nations Secretary-General Mr Ban Ki-Moon, who will be invited to light the last MDG3 Torch.
Dr Piot accepted the torch on behalf of UNAIDS and committed the organization to make the money work for women and girls by making sure that global financial commitments make a difference at country level.
Dr Piot accepted the torch on
behalf of UNAIDS and
committed the organization
to make the money work for
women and girls.“Achieving MDG6 to halt and reverse AIDS depends on significant progress on MDG3,” said Dr Piot. “While at country level we see significant progress on policy development for gender equity in HIV service provision, it is a major concern that specific budget allocations to back these policies up are generally not there” he added.
Other recipients of the MDG3 torch at the Geneva event were Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland; Graca Machel, Daisy Mafubelu, Assistant Director-General - Family and Community Health, World Health Organization; and Dr. Julian Lob-Levyt, Executive Secretary, Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI).
On September 25th, the President of the General Assembly Srgjan Kerim and the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will co-host and chair a high-level event on the Millennium Development Goals in New York. This event will bring together governments, leaders from the private sector, civil society and faith based organizations to review progress made in the preceding 12 months and accelerate action on the MDGs taking stock of progress so far, showcase successes the world could build on, set a path for the future to 2015, and allow each group to make practical commitments.
