We are honored by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's appointment to Co-Chair the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons, to listen to the voices of the hundreds of millions of Africans and countless others from around the planet. Through robust consultations, we are hearing what the world considers a reasoned, practical development agenda that can successfully eliminate the myriad dimensions of poverty by 2015 and beyond.

Last July, the Secretary-General, mindful of the expiration of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2015, empanelled 24 eminent persons of diverse backgrounds from across the globe, and three Co-Chairs – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia, Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom, and me – to deliberate, consult and make recommendations on what development framework might replace the MDGs.