The third episode of our 11-part series on the four major international development summits of the year.

Development writer and international negotiations watcher Biraj Swain discusses with Prof Sachin Chaturvedi of Ministry of External Affairs RIS, Jonathan Glennie of Save the Children-UK, Vidya Venkat of The Hindu and Paul Divakar of Asia Dalit Rights Federation on the relevance of United Nations on its 70th anniversary, in a post-2008-meltdown world. They also discuss the ultra-conservative hunger and poverty definitions and the lack of ambition around 0.7% of GNI for development assistance and its impact. They take stock of the Millenium Development Goals, their impact on India and the world and conclude with their expectations from the new set of global goals i.e. the Sustainable Development Goals hold for us, our future and our shared destinies.

For reference:

1. Sustainable development goals: All you need to know
2. Sustainable development goals: Changing the world in 17 steps interactive
3. Global Hunger Statistics: Does Every Hungry Belly Count?
4. Poverty of Sense
5. Sustainable development goals wont happen without the means to implement it
6. Aid-naysayers lack logic and compassion: 0.7% target should be enshrined in law
7. India in no position to meet the SDGs
8. India yet to achieve UN millennium development goals