As the 2015 deadline for the millennium development goals draws near, there is an urgent need for inclusive global consultations to draw up a successor agreement. With only four years left to go, many of the world's poorest people, particularly women and children, are being left behind in efforts to meet the current commitments.
In September 2011, the UN general assembly will meet to discuss how the pace can be accelerated, and what should replace the current framework after 2015. Without action, the MDGs might be left to lapse. Yet the task of ending poverty is far from over; one in four people in developing countries is still living on less than $1.25 dollars a day. It may be expedient simply to extend the deadline, but this is not acceptable.