According to the United Nations, younger people represent one-fourth of the world?s six billion people, of which 86 percent live in the developing world.

At this rate, he warns, many of the goals will not be met, “so we need to re-affirm our commitment to these goals,” which also include achieving universal primary education and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.

As part of this process of re-commitment, the United Nations has turned to the world’s younger generation to increase awareness of the MDGs, and to help spread the word at the grassroots level.

A declaration adopted Oct. 30 at the conclusion of a three-day Global Youth Leadership Summit—described as one of the largest assemblies of youth—called on all 192 UN member states to fulfill commitments made at the UN Millennium Summit in September 2000.

“The older generation of leaders from around the world endorsed the Millennium Development Goals for 2015,” said Djibril Diallo, chair of the summit, “but it will take the full commitment and talents of the younger generation to help achieve them.”

According to the United Nations, younger people represent one-fourth of the world’s six billion people, of which 86 percent live in the developing world.

The United Nations estimates that one in five youth live on less than a dollar a day, and about 45 percent live on less than two dollars a day.

He described the summit as a “landmark event” because the 400 young delegates, ages 16 to 30, who came from 192 countries, will return to their home countries “as spokespersons for MDGs reaching out to their peers and new partners to take action to help achieve the MDGs.”

As he surveyed the cavernous auditorium of the United Nations on the opening day of the summit, Mr. Annan declared that, “This is the liveliest General Assembly Hall I’ve seen.”

He reminded the young delegates that there are still more than a billion people living on less than a dollar a day. Three billion survive on less than two dollars a day, he said, and more than 100 million school-aged children are not in school. Seven thousand young people become infected with HIV/AIDS. Every day, almost 30,000 children die of poverty.

“These are grim statistics, but there are human faces behind them,” he added.

“That is where you, the young leaders, come in. Your voice and your organization, activity and energy can hold leaders to those pledges that they have made,’ he continued.

“I know you will not resign yourselves to a world where others die of hunger, remain illiterate and lack human dignity. We need to work in partnership with governments, the private sector and civil society.”