The international community should have "a sense of urgency" in their efforts to realize the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Chinese Minister of Health Chen Zhu said here on Monday.
"The deadline of the MDGs is only five years away, and we are facing huge challenges at this critical moment," Chen told the annual assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO).
"The international community should have sense of mission and urgency to reach consensus, coordinate actions, and accelerate progress," Chen said.
Addressing delegates from the WHO's 193 member states, Chen said that despite the unremitting efforts of the international community, "the MDG health indicators of women and children have been improving slowly and the situations are far from optimistic."
"China holds that health of women and children constitutes an important element in a country's national basic health system and it reflects the social and economic development level," he stressed.
Chen said the attainment of the MDGs would be "a historical milestone," and he urged governments to share this responsibility and "take stronger measures."
