U.N. SG Ban calls on public health academics to play role in post-2015 development goals

Speaking on Wednesday at the Global Colloquium of University Presidents, hosted by New York University, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "called on the global public health academic community to be active partners in the future development framework as the international community starts to set its post-2015 anti-poverty goals," the U.N. News Centre reports. "Our hope is that governments will fashion and reach consensus on an ambitious and coherent global agenda with a single set of goals by 2015 that are every bit as inspiring as the [Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)] have been," he said, according to the news service. "Noting the importance of public health, Mr. Ban added that there appears to be growing consensus that, in addition to specific health goals, 'we should develop concrete health targets under all development goals,'" the news service notes, adding, "Ban encouraged [meeting] participants to continue to play a vital role in advancing the health goals, as well as the development of the global health agenda, particularly through investment in women's and children's health" (3/14).