The 2005 World Summit in New York, marking the 60th anniversary of the United Nations, was the largest gathering of Heads of State and Government to date.
The summit's final communiqué included important commitments on improving health, responding to disease pandemics and strengthening health systems.
World leaders reaffirmed their pledge to achieving the Millennium Development Goals for 2015. Within their attention to health and development, they made a specific commitment to:
"Stressing the need to urgently address malaria and tuberculosis, in particular in the most affected countries, and welcoming the scaling up of all efforts in this regard of bilateral and multilateral initiatives."
The commitments outlined in the official document and subsequent actions and additional resources requested, will help ensure that the world is a safer and healthier place for all of us, ten years from now.
Please see a summary of references (in the link above right) to commitments on HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other health issues, as well as on the response to the special crisis in Africa.
The full communiqué and further details relating to the summit can be accessed at: http://www.un.org/summit2005/