Austin, TX -- (SBWire) -- 10/20/2014 --With less than 500 days to go before the deadline for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), The Children’s Project International (TCPI) joins with its international partners, to call upon world leaders to intensify their efforts to accelerate progress to achieve the MDGs before their expiration at the end of next year. During the opening of the 69th Session of the United Nations General Assembly last month, voices from the developing world poignantly reminded the 193-member body of the commitments it made 14 years ago to eradicate extreme poverty and the work that still needs to be done before those commitments are fulfilled.

While some countries have achieved remarkable gains under the MDG framework, other nations require still greater assistance to meet the social and economic benchmarks set by the MDGs. “Non-governmental organizations like ours are working hard with partners in the developing world to improve maternal and child health, achieve universal education and promote gender equality,” said Raj Luhar, CEO of TCPI, “but achieving the complex goal of eliminating extreme poverty requires institutional and government actors to address the systemic conditions that contribute to endemic poverty.”

In advance of the 2015 deadline for the MDGs, the UN now considers seventeen draft Sustainable Development Goals to replace the MDGs upon their expiration. The proposed goals, which apply equally to wealthy and developing countries, will build upon the progress of the MDGs and cover a broader range of development issues across 169 targets. As the UN crafts the framework for a post-2015 development agenda, TCPI urges Member States to address the challenges to full achievement of the MDGs by strengthening the accountability framework around the SDGs.

Mr. Luhar commented, “It is clear that the global community desires a bold development agenda, but in order for it to succeed we must be bold enough to consider the lessons of the MDG process and use those learnings to structure a framework for success as we work together for sustainable development.”

About The Children’s Project International
The Children’s Project International undertakes charitable activities dedicated to improving the lives of the world’s children by providing life-sustaining goods and personally enriching tools. By leveraging the social consciousness of today’s youth, TCPI seeks to work with existing organizations which share in TCPI’s goals to provide underprivileged and disenfranchised children with material relief and the belief in a better tomorrow. TCPI is led by a Board of Directors of outstanding national figures representing all sectors of the globe.

To support The Children’s Project International’s efforts, please visit: http://www.helpthemtoday.org or call 512-651-3742.