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Questionsfor

Jan Eliasson

Deputy Secretary-General

of the United Nations

Thanks to the hard grassroots. The {JN and its Mem-
work of governments, ber States are also working hard on
civil society and other defining the next generation of sus-
partners arorind the tainable development goals after
world, the MDGs have the MDGs expire in 2015.
mobilized action and
achieved results. Global Q: Another issue close to
poverty has been cut in your heart: the humanitarian
half. We have improved work. Today we have a feeling
Q: Mr. Eliasson, you took up access to drinking water and condi- that the noble values of the
office almost a year ago as tions for people living in slums. humanitarians have been re-
Deputy Secretary-General, at More girls are in school. Child and placed by a huge industry and
a time when the world is going maternal mortality is declining that is in fact ruling the game.
througli lx inlCutIlOug changes. dramatically. Yet we continue to Is this the case, and if yes,
What exactly are your main struggle against extreme poverty, what can the UN do to remedy
functions in the midst of all inequality and insufficient access this?
this movement? to water and sanitation. And cli-
mate change remains a clear and The scale of humanitarian work
I support the Secretary-General present danger.In the time remai- may have increased, but the values
by coordinating the work of the ning before the end of :oi5, that upheld by humanitarian workers
UN Secretariat on a wide range of means sealing up success, empowe- remain constant, and they are in-
political, humanitarian and deve- ring women and girls, taking action deed noble ones: helping people
lopment work. That can mean any- on water and sanitation, keeping in need; providing them with the
thing from working on the latest fiscal promises and mobilizing food, water, shelter and medicine
challengeswe face in Syria and Mali people from governments to the that they need to survive; and
to ensuring that the governments
of the world will make a final push to
attain the Millennium Development

Goals and form a new Post-poi5
Development Agenda. In work- y; I
ing on these tasks, I am in regular
contact with the Secretary-General,
whom I also represent at different
international meetings andforums.
And I continue to work closely
with the UN Member States, as
I did when I was President of the
General Assembly 2005 - 2006.

Q: In less than hvo years from
now, we'll have reached the
deadlinefortheUnitedNations
Millennium Development 11-# l
Goals. What is the current
situation, and what will hap- l- :i i
pen next? Do you have other,
post-MDGs in the pipeline?

14 International