The United Nations (UN) will convene a special Millennium Development Goal (MDG) summit along with the opening of the General Assembly this September, UN Secretary General Ban ki-moon said Sunday.

"There is not much time to the 2015 deadline (of the MDG), but still much distance to travel," Ban said when addressing the opening ceremony of the 14th summit of the African Union (AU) here in the Ethiopian capital.

The summit will mobilize support for scaling up MDG successes and pay attention on gaps that need urgent action such as the protection of women and children, Ban said.

The summit is also expected to emphasize action in priority policy areas such as employment generation, especially in the agricultural sector, said Ban. The potential of knowledge and technology, including Information and Communication technologies (ICTs), should be harnessed to realize the MDG, Ban said.

Meanwhile, the September Summit will work on building a coalition for action, as "the MDGs are everyone's business and must become everyone's pursuit," he said.

The three-day AU summit, held under the theme "Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Africa: Challenges and Prospects for Development," gathered heads of state and government of more than 50 AU members to assess the achievements and challenges of Africa's ICTs sector, and map out relevant development strategies.

The leaders will also discuss issues of major concern in the continent, including regional conflicts, Africa's political and economic integration, climate change and Africa's stance on UN reforms.

(Xinhua News Agency February 1, 2010)