| dc.description.abstract | In 2003, the world economy began to gain momentum following more than two years of sluggish growth. Although the war in Iraq and the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in several countries caused some setbacks early in the year, the global economy experienced a stronger-than-expected upturn in the second half of the year, raising the overall rate of growth of world output to 2.5 per cent. Despite the improved global prospects, large imbalances remained, making it unlikely that most developing countries would attain the rates of growth necessary for the achievement of the primary Millennium Development Goal (MDG), adopted by the General Assembly in 2000, of halving by 2015 the proportion of the world's people living in extreme poverty. Eradicating poverty and achieving the other MDGs continued to be a focus of the work of UN bodies in 2003. The Assembly emphasized the vital role of the United Nations in promoting development and partnerships in order to meet the challenges of globalization and to realize the key MDGs of poverty reduction and sustainable development. The Assembly also discussed the ongoing implementation of the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006) and the preparations for the International Year of Micro-credit, 2005. The high-level segment of the Economic and Social Council adopted a ministerial declaration aimed at promoting an integrated approach to rural development as a means for eradicating poverty and achieving sustainable development. The Council also endorsed the establishment of the World Solidarity Fund to eradicate poverty, which was set up as a trust fund of the United Nations Development Programme. In April, the Committee of Experts on Public Administration addressed ways to enhance the capacity of public administration for achieving the MDGs. Follow-up to the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, which reviewed progress in implementing Agenda 21, the action plan on sustainable development adopted by the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, was also a priority. The Commission on Sustainable Development, which was charged with overseeing Summit follow-up, considered its own future role in that regard, as well as that of major groups. The Assembly reviewed plans by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization for implementing the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014). The implications of science and new technologies, especially information and communication technologies (ICTs), for development remained another focus of UN deliberations during the year. In December, the International Telecommunication Union convened the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society, which adopted the Declaration of Principles and a Plan of Action to build an inclusive information society. The Assembly considered the role of biotechnology in promoting economic development and proposals for increasing global cyber-security through the protection of critical information infrastructures. The Council welcomed the orientation of the UN ICT Task Force towards the use of ICTs in the advancement of the MDGs. The Commission on Science and Technology considered technology development and capacity-building for competitiveness in a digital society, with particular emphasis on ICTs. In addition, a variety of UN organs continued efforts to improve the lives of the millions of people living in particularly vulnerable areas of the world, including the least developed countries (LDCs), small island developing States (SIDS) and landlocked developing countries. In April, the Committee for Development Policy conducted the triennial review of the list of officially designated LDCs, adding one country to the list and recommending two countries for future graduation. In August, the International Ministerial Conference on Transit Transport Cooperation adopted the Almaty Declaration and Programme of Action, a global framework for addressing the special needs of landlocked developing countries and their transit developing neighbours. Preparations were under way for the comprehensive review in 2004 of implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of SIDS, adopted at the global conference on the subject in 1994. | en |
