Pacific leaders are being called on to take urgent steps to uphold human rights in order to realise the Millennium Development Goals or MDG's.
A United Nations General Assembly session is being held in New York to review progress towards achieving some of the goals.
But the Chief Executive of Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand, Patrick Holmes, says failure in the Pacific to respect human rights means the poorest and most disadvantaged will never achieve those goals.
Mr Holmes says he hopes the summit in New York results in action and is not just window dressing:
"There's many things that could be done on the ground that would start to move us towards the achievement of these MDGs. They are aspirational, but there's no reason why we shouldn't see concrete small steps here in our own part of the world."
The CEO of Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand, Patrick Holmes, says New Zealand plays a crucial role in supporting Pacific nations to achieve the MDGs.
The goals include eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, reducing child and maternal deaths and promoting gender equality
