UN accord on Millennium Development Goals summit

World powers have reached an accord, after weeks of tough talks, on a document to be adopted at a Millennium Development summit this month for which Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is seeking billions of dollars of new funding.

The summit document was finally agreed Wednesday night, a European diplomat said, after rich nations and developing countries had wrangled over how to pay for a kick start to the ambitious development goals first set at the Millennium summit in 2000.

President Barack Obama and other world leaders will meet for a three day summit at the UN headquarters on September 21-23 to review the eight goals set in 2000 aiming to be reached by 2015.

None of the goals, which range from cutting child mortality rates by two-thirds to halving the number of people in absolute poverty and reducing HIV/AIDS, are on target to be reached.

The final document mentions the need for "innovative" financing for the huge projects being discussed and the need for particular focus to be put on sub-Saharan Africa, according to the European diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Rich nations and developing countries had wrangled over the failure to keep up with the targets, but also topics such as whether blame for the financial crisis should be included in the document.

One diplomat said the Group of 77 developing nations had wanted the document to stress that donor nations had failed to live up to their commitments made in 2000.

"We have narrowed down the disagreements and we now have a text that all sides are comfortable with," said a diplomat from one of the permanent members of the Security Council, also speaking on condition of anonymity.

A US advisor to the United Nations said Ban Ki-moon will announce a massive financial injection to fill a funding gap for the Millennium Development Goals.

"The secretary general is hoping to be able to announce 26 billion dollars in commitments" to meet the funding gap for MDGs aimed at women's and children's health, AIDS and hunger, for just 2011, said Lyndon Haviland, an expert in strategic philanthropy and public health communications, who advises top UN officials.

Ban will formally announce commitments from countries and major companies in New York on September 22, Haviland said.

"There will be countries, for instance, who will say they will make emergency obstetric care free, and there will be companies who say they are going to give this many doses of a vaccine for free. Those commitments represent a certain part of the 26 billion," she said.

Haviland also said that the United States would probably not be the biggest donor.

The figure of 26 billion dollars needed to boost the chances of hitting the 2015 target was calculated in recent months by the World Bank, said Haviland.

Health issues are the backbone of the MDGs. The key health goals set in 2000 include cutting child mortality rates by two thirds, halving world hunger, reducing the maternal mortality rate by three-quarters and providing universal access to health care for women; and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS.