The First UN Millennium Development Goal (original) (raw)

Millennium Development Goals : A compact among nations to end human poverty OVERVIEW

2003

1 The new century opened with an unprecedented declaration of solidarity and determination to rid the world of poverty. In 2000 the UN Millennium Declaration, adopted at the largest-ever gathering of heads of state, committed countries—rich and poor—to doing all they can to eradicate poverty, promote human dignity and equality and achieve peace, democracy and environmental sustainability. World leaders promised to work together to meet concrete targets for advancing development and reducing poverty by 2015 or earlier. Emanating from the Millennium Declaration, the Millennium Development Goals bind countries to do more in the attack on inadequate incomes, widespread hunger, gender inequality, environmental deterioration and lack of education, health care and clean water (box 1). They also include actions to reduce debt and increase aid, trade and technology transfers to poor countries. The March 2002 Monterrey Consensus—reaffirmed in the September 2002 Johannesburg Declaration on Sus...

Millennium Development Goals: Progress and Challenges

2010

The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) represent an unprecedented partnership among nations to better the lives of hungry and poor people across the globe. Health is at the heart of the MDG. As the 2015 target date approaches, many developing countries have already made extraordinary progress, improving the lives of millions of people. But not all countries or regions of the world are on track to meet the MDG. At the halfway mark to the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) deadline of 2015, the world has not made the necessary progress, but success is still possible given certain conditions, said World Bank economist Zia Qureshi, lead author of 2008 Global Monitoring Report (World Bank, 2008). Developing nations face many barriers to achieving the MDG, some unique and country-specific, others broadly shared. Common problems faced by many nations can be grouped into six areas: poor starting conditions, weak governance and institutions, conflict and instability, increasing food prices, environmental degradation, and above all the current global economic crisis.

An Assessment of the UN's Millennium Development Goals and its Millennium Declaration (SOCIAL ECONOMICS, POLICY AND DEVELOPMENT WP 43)

The United Nations’ Millennium Declaration, passed by the General Assembly in September 2000, is assessed with particular attention being given to the Millennium Development Goals and associated targets outlined in the Declaration. The focus of the article is not so much on the extent to which these goals are being met but on the adequacy of the Declaration itself. The fundamental values outlined in the Declaration are listed and assessed. The Millennium Development Goals are means for the attainment of these values, along with some other objectives specified in the Declaration. Both sets of objectives are examined, with most attention being given to the Millennium Development Goals and Targets. The Millennium Development Goals aim to reduce social and economic disadvantage globally by the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, by achieving universal primary education, by promoting greater equality, and by satisfying particular health goals. In addition, they include the aim of ensuring environmental sustainability and the creation of a global partnership for development.