"Mr Secretary-General, Ladies and Gentlemen..."

At the 2000 UN Millennium Summit, world leaders from rich and poor countries alike committed themselves - at the highest political level - to a set of eight time-bound targets that, when achieved, would end extreme poverty by 2015. With five years to go, how close are we to reaching those goals?

In "Mr Secretary-General, Ladies and Gentlemen ...", Concern Worldwide publishes the winning entries from its third annual essay competition for students to write about global issues. Students were asked to submit the speech they would deliver to the United Nations on one of the eight Millennium Development Goals:

• Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger
• Achieve Universal Primary Education
• Promote Gender Equality and Empower Wome
• Reduce Child Mortality
• Improve Maternal Health
• Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases
• Ensure Environmental Sustainability
• Develop a Global Partnership for Development

After receiving over 700 entries, Concern asked an external judging panel to select the best ten in each category, which, along with notable extracts from other submissions, comprises "Mr Secretary-General, Ladies and Gentlemen ..."... - essays that offer fresh and impassioned thinking about vital issues facing the world today.