2008 Annual Ministerial Review

The Annual Ministerial Review (AMR), held on 2-3 July 2008 at UN Headquarters in New York, focused on "Implementing the internationally agreed goals and commitments in regard to sustainable development". It provided an opportunity to:

• Assess the state of implementation of the United Nations Development Agenda;
• Explore key challenges in ensuring that the global consensus on sustainable development is translated into action at the national level;
• Promote the implementation of Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Programme of Implementation (JPOI);
• Contribute to the efforts to integrate the implementation of MDG7 with other MDGs;
• Consider recommendations and proposals for action, including new initiatives.

Preparations for the 2008 AMR session included an e-Discussion, a AMR global preparatory meeting and a regional meeting. During the AMR thematic discussion the Council benefited from the insights of leading experts in the area of sustainable development such as Dr. Rajendra Kumar Pachauri, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Sir Nicholas Herbert Stern, author of the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change..In addition, eight countries – both developing and developed - made voluntary national presentations.