July 18: Reliance Industries chairman, Mr Mukesh Ambani, has been named by the United Nations to a key advocacy group on Millennium Development Goals (MDG), whose mandate includes finding ways to fight socio-economic evils such as poverty.
Mr Ambani is the only Indian to be a part of the MDG Advocacy Group that comprises eminent international personalities including Microsoft chairman, Mr Bill Gates, philanthropist, Mr Ted Turner, and Nobel laureate, Mr Muhammad Yunus, among others.
Mr Ambani is expected to focus on a global partnership for development, that will include development of an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system.
UN said the top Indian industrialist will also look at the special needs of the least developed countries (LDC), as well as landlocked developing countries and small island developing states.
The MDGs are eight international development goals that all 192 United Nations member states and at least 23 global organisations have agreed to achieve by the year 2015. These inclu-de reducing extreme poverty, reducing child mortality rates, fighting disease epidemics such as AIDS and developing a global partnership for development.
The Group will support the UN Secretary-General, Mr Ban Ki-moon, in building political will and mobilising global action, says the world body.