Finland Times

Jointly organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO), the United National Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) and the United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, in cooperation with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, the Minister for International Development, Heidi Hautala will host the conference.

The devastating effects of conflict, violence and disaster and formulate development objectives are scheduled to be discussed in the conference, said a government press release.

 The conference is part of the ongoing global consultation process which aims to meet the new development challenges after the deadline for the Millennium Development Goals has passed. 

High-level representatives from United Nations  Member States, NGOs, private sector and UN agencies will participate in the conference.

In 2000, world leaders reached to an agreement on how the world would be made a better place. Eight development goals were set, and it was decided to achieve them by the year 2015.

Three of the Millennium Development Goals, however, have been already achieved as  poverty has been cut in half, the living conditions of slum-dwellers and access to clean water have improved, and as many girls as boys now start school but the rest of the goals  are still away to go.

As the deadline approaches, the debate in the international community is accelerating: What are the post-2015 development challenges and how these can be met?