U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged world leaders to keep their commitments to reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, the Voice of America (VOA) reports. He made his plea on Monday, September 20, at the opening of a three-day summit at the United Nations. First agreed on at a summit in 2000, MDG goals include fighting HIV/AIDS, ending extreme poverty, improving maternal health and reducing child mortality. Ban said progress has been made, but the global fiscal crisis has slowed the advancement of some goals, especially maternal health and child mortality.

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