UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday discussed with Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, the Spanish prime minister, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the MDG summit in September, Xinhua reported.
The secretary-general met with the Spanish prime minister in Toronto on the sidelines of the summit of the Group of 20 (G20) largest economies in the world, said a readout from the UN Spokesperson's Office here.
"The secretary-general thanked the prime minister for agreeing to co-chair the Millennium Development Goals Advocacy Group," the readout said. "They discussed MDGs, including the importance of women's and children's health, and the MDG summit. The leaders also discussed efforts to fight climate change. "
Ban has been taking part in the two-day summit to highlight the need for world leaders to step up efforts to eradicate poverty and achieve the eight MDGs for reducing extreme poverty and hunger, improving health and education, empowering women and ensuring environmental sustainability by 2015.
On June 23, the secretary-general announced the establishment of an advocacy group of eminent persons to try to galvanize support worldwide towards achieving the MDGs by their target date of 2015. The MDG Advocacy Group will be co-chaired by Rwandan President Paul Kagame and the Spanish prime minister.
The group is tasked with helping the secretary-general to build political will and mobilize global action on the eight Goals ahead of the summit on the issue that will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in September.
Zapatero will host the first meeting of the MDG Advocacy Group in Madrid, capital of Spain, in July.