In his opening remarks in Spain (see below)  at the first meeting of the Millennium Development Goals, the UN Secretary General disappointingly said that nine out of ten US residents do not know what this initiative was or stands for.  He urged the audience to spread the word around to get people to know and support the initiative.

    The problem is: what can such an initiative led by an accused war criminal and “genocidaire”, a de facto fascist and, according to the prestigious Foreign Policy Magazine,  a leader who “practices ... ethnic apartheid” in his country, bring.

    The UN Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon maya have made a serious mistake by appointing the  Rwandan dictator General Paul Kagame to co-chair the initiative. He took an initiative that sought to uplift the poor and to advocate on the behalf of the underprivileged and  the economically oppressed and subjected it to the tyranny of one o the worst oppressors, if not the worst oppressor,  in the world.

Now that the President of the Spanish Government has shunned the responsibility of sharing the job with the alleged criminal, the eyes are on what will become of the MDG. Is the controversy distracting the initiative of its goals? Is the MDG stillborn?

    In his statements to the press on July 16, 2010 the UN Secretary General, through Farhan Haq, the Associate Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, justified his choice of Rwandan Dictator General Paul Kagame in the  following exchange with the press, but quickly acknowledged the problems and the roadblocks of that this choice creates:

Question:  Sure, Farhan.  You may get other questions about this, but I wanted to ask you about this MDG advisory meeting.  You’d said that the Secretary-General met separately with his two co-Chairs, Mr. [Paul] Kagame [President of Rwanda] and [José Luis Rodríguez] Zapatero.  It’s been widely reported in Spain that Prime Minister Zapatero boycotted the meeting with Kagame specifically on human rights grounds, because he is subject to court proceedings in Spain for various human rights violations.  Can you confirm that this is why they did not meet together, that Zapatero did not, and can you explain why Ban Ki-moon would have chosen as the two co-chairs a person charged with human rights violations in the country of the other Prime Minister?

Associate Spokesperson:  Well, first of all, I think I have already explained to you yesterday the reasoning behind the choice of President Kagame, which has to do with the record that Rwanda has achieved in terms of its implementation of the Millennium Development Goals, which is the subject of this meeting.  Yes, the Secretary-General met separately with each of the leaders.  And certainly, he did raise human rights concerns in his meeting with the President of Rwanda.  In fact, for that, let me for the moment read to you the full readout of his bilateral meeting with President Kagame, which follows:

The Secretary-General met with President Paul Kagame of Rwanda this morning in Madrid, Spain.  They discussed the Millennium Development Goals and Rwanda’s achievements towards achieving the MDGs, especially on MDG 2, concerning education, and 3, concerning gender equality.  The Secretary-General also underlined his expectations concerning the work of the MDG Advocacy Group and its first meeting, today in Madrid.

The Secretary-General also noted the upcoming elections in Rwanda and expressed concern about recent incidents causing political tensions.  He stressed the need to uphold human rights.  The Secretary-General encouraged the Rwandan authorities to take immediate action, including a thorough investigation into the latest incidents, and to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Question:  Farhan, following up on this issue, are there any thoughts after what happened to the Madrid [meeting] of changing of the co-Chairs because, obviously, what is going to be the future of this group if the two co-Chairs cannot meet together?

Associate Spokesperson:  No, the co-chairs remain as they are.  The Secretary-General trusts that they will continue to participate in the work of the MDG Advocacy Group in the run-up to this September’s meeting in New York.  But certainly the Secretary-General also appreciates the role that Prime Minister Zapatero has played in pushing for the fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals, and he also appreciates the role that Foreign Minister [Miguel Angel] Moratinos played in helping to convene this morning’s meeting.

Question:  Also, in Madrid, some people are worried that the UN put Spain in a very difficult position selecting Mr. Kagame after he has been… is involved in court procedures regarding…

Associate Spokesperson:  The Government of Spain had been fully informed of the choice of President Kagame as one of the co-facilitators.

Question:  He never raised any issues with the UN about it?

This exchange is in a clear contrast with the upbeat opening speech delivered by the UN Secretary General earlier in the day:

Secretary-General's opening remarks at Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Advocates Meeting in  Madrid, Spain, 16 July 2010 -

Good afternoon.

A total of seven political parties also called on Zapatero to skip the meeting, and the spokesman for the ruling Socialist party, Jose Antonio Alonso, said Friday he was uncomfortable with Kagame's presence in Spain.

"It seems he has a more than shady past in Rwanda," ex-defence minister Alonso said.

Below is the speech at the UN SG delivered at the opening:

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Madrid (Spain)

16 July 2010

Opening remarks at MDG Advocates Meeting

Your Excellency, President of Rwanda, Mr. Paul Kagame, Your Excellency, Foreign Minister of Spain, Mr. Miguel Angel Moratinos Your Excellency Michelle Bachelet, Esteemed MDG Advocates, Distinguished guests, Ladies and gentlemen,

Primero, felicidades a España por ganar la Copa Mundial de Fútbol.

As we open this first meeting of the MDG Advocates Group, I would like express my sincere gratitude to Prime Minister Zapatero of Spain for hosting us. Even though he cannot be with us, I know his heart is here and I appreciate his leadership in this MDG campaign.

There is no better place to focus on scoring goals than right here in world champion Spain.

Spain was not the only victor of the World Cup. Africa was also the big winner. I am grateful for President Paul Kagame for adding his voice to this important cause, and I thank you for serving as co-Chair.

And, of course, I thank all of you for taking time out of your extremely busy schedules to join the MDG Advocates Group. I know you are very busy, busier than I am even, so thank you.

As I said when I launched this group: when it comes to fighting poverty and expanding opportunity, you are global superheroes.

You are eminent global leaders. You are world renowned experts. You have deep knowledge, broadly diverse backgrounds and unique networks of contacts.

You are thinkers, doers and achievers.

You understand the importance of meeting the MDGs – and the power of reaching people.

That is why we are here – to build a global network, a movement, a team, to score the goals and triumph – like Spain – in our great common challenge.

This Group will identify strategic opportunities. You will help build awareness. You will help translate the rhetoric of good intentions into results – real results for real people.

As I have said often, and say again now: We can achieve the MDGs. It is possible.

Of course, we are clear-eyed about the difficulties ahead.

Not long ago, there was a survey of the Millennium Development Goals in the United States.

Nine of ten people said they were not familiar with the specifics of the MDGs.

But encouragingly, when those details were explained, nine out of ten people agreed that leaders must make the MDGs a priority. They all agreed that MDGs must succeed by 2015.

That underscores the importance of your mission.

Around the world, people support the goals and the values embedded in the MDGs -- but we must do more to educate and inform about the MDGs.

That’s where the MDG Advocacy Group comes in.

Now is the time for you to act.

At a moment when more people are looking inward, you can help mobilize a grassroots movement that highlights our common humanity…our common obligations…and our common future.

At a time of economic uncertainty and fiscal austerity, you can help send the message that the MDGs go beyond development.

Meeting the goals is about tapping into the potential and dynamism of the emerging economies and developing countries. It is about generating growth – global economic growth.

It is about creating jobs.

Ladies and gentlemen,

In less than three months, world leaders will gather in New York for the MDG Summit. I am encouraged that [some] 150 leaders should attend this Summit. I have never seen such a high number for the [opening] of the General Assembly. This will be the most important global development conference since the Millennium Summit a decade ago.

Your role will be critical. We need you to help mobilize and galvanize. We need you to help make the Summit a turning point. We want world leaders to come out with a detailed and complete action plan. We only have five years left. [...]

Help us adopt the strongest possible action plan for the next five years. Help us score the goals by 2015.

I look forward to your ideas and engagement. I am eager to hear your experiences.

How can we scale-up successes?

How can we find new approaches…mobilize new resources…and help the most vulnerable?

How can we move from aspiration to achievement?

I trust that this meeting…and all of you…can undertake your own programme of action.

Writing op-eds, spreading the MDG message at national, regional and global events, offering expert advice, even raising funds for MDG programs.

Every person counts. Every initiative moves us closer. Every one of you can and will make a difference.

Thank you for being here today.

I look forward to working closely with you.

The people of the world were excited last month [about] the goals that were being scored. We also have other goals. [...] Let´s work for the Millennium Development Goals. Let´s score [these] goals. I need your support and leadership.

Thank you very much. Muchas gracias