United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is urging the international community to work harder to help the world's most vulnerable people and achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
World leaders are gathered in New York to discuss progress on eight goals, including the eradication of extreme poverty, hunger, disease and gender inequality.
The summit aims to place renewed emphasis on areas that are struggling, including improving maternal health and reducing child mortality, although there is widespread scepticism that the targets can met.
Mr Ban is calling on world economies to help vulnerable populations despite the economic crisis.
