The theme of the symposium will be "How to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals: The Roles of the UN System and Japan." The Millennium Development Goals, set by world leaders at the UN Millennium Summit in September 2000, represent an ambitious agenda of global targets for reducing poverty, its causes and its manifestations. Specific goals include alleviating extreme poverty and hunger, halving the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water, achieving universal primary education and gender equity, reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS and ensuring environmental sustainability.

Keynote speakers at the UN Day 2002 Public Symposium will be Ms. Sharon Capeling-Alakija (Executive Coordinator, United Nations Volunteers) and Mr. Mats Karlsson (Vice President for External Affairs and UN Affairs, World Bank). A panel discussion, coordinated by Ms. Akiko Yuge (Director, United Nations Development Programme, Tokyo), will feature Ms. Mary Donde Odinga (Ambassador of the Republic of Kenya), Mr. Motohide Yoshikawa (Deputy Director-General, Economic Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan), Ms. Mari Christine (Goodwill Ambassador, UN Human Settlement Programme), Ms. Yamamoto Rika (Chief, Project Section, Peace Winds Japan) and Mr. Masahiko Ishizuka (Managing Director, Foreign Press Center, Tokyo). Mr. Tetsuya Komuro (Goodwill Ambassador, UN Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention) will also speak and perform several songs.

Simultaneous English-Japanese interpretation will be provided. The symposium will be open to the public, but advance registration (by 18 October) is required. Media representatives are cordially invited to attend. A copy of the programme is attached for your reference.