Officials said on Thursday that discussions at the meeting were expected to focus on several issues, including closing the MDGs implementation gap with equity, strengthening coordination among a broad range of stakeholders and accelerating results to achieve the MDGs by 2015.

Nkoana-Mashabane is scheduled to address the gathering later in the day.

President Jacob Zuma has in the past praised South Africa’s progress with regards to its MDGs, citing interventions on HIV and Aids and improvements in health and education.  However, observers say following the global economic crisis, some developed countries have limited their funding for fighting poverty in Africa.

Zuma told the third Africa-European Union Summit in Tripoli, Libya, in December that all nations needed a far greater sense of urgency if the targets were to be met.