Millennium Development Goals

Progress on MDG’s

The MDGs are a set of specific, quantified and time-bound targets on the various dimensions of human development- income poverty, hunger, health, education, gender equality, and environmental sustainability. MDGs are too important to fail. For the international political system, they are the fulcrums on which development policy is based. World leaders of the Millennium Declaration promised to work together to meet concrete targets for advancing development based on fundamental values in the Millennium Declaration.

Fundamental Values in the Millennium Declaration

1. Freedom: Democratic and participatory governance based on the will of the people best assures these rights

2. Equality: the equal rights and opportunities of women and men must be assured

3. Solidarity: those who suffer or who benefit least deserve help from those who benefit most.

4. Tolerence: a culture of peace and dialogue among all civilizations should be actively promoted.

5. Respect for nature: the management of all living species and natural resources, in accordance with the precepts of sustainable development. Production and consumption must be changed in the interest of our future welfare and that of our descendants.

6. Shared responsibility: responsibility for managing worldwide economic and social development, and threats to international peace and security.

            At highest political level, that poverty in the poorest countries can be reduced if well-designed and well-implemented plans are put in place by developing countries and if rich countries simultaneously match their efforts with substantial increases in support. There are 8 goals of Millennium Development.

Millennium Development Goals
Goals	Targets
1. eradicate extreme poverty and hunger 2. achieve universal primary education 3. promote gender equality and empower women 4. reduce child mortality 5. improve maternal health  6.combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria & other diseases 7. Ensure Environmental Sustainability 8. Develop a Global Partnership for Development	1. between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than one dollar a day 2. between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger. 3. ensure children everywhere will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling until 2015. 4. Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005 and at all levels of education no later than 2015 5. Reduce by half, between 1990 and 2015, the under 5 mortality rate. 6. reduce by three-quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality rate 7.  have health and begun to reserve the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015. 8. have health and begun to reserve the incidence of malaria and other major diseases by 2015. 9.integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reserve the loss of environmental resources. 10. halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinks water 11. achieve a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by 2020. 12. further develop an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system (including a commitment to good governance, development and poverty reduction) both nationally and internationally. 13. address the special needs of the least developed countries through measure including tariff-and-quota-free access for exports, an enhanced programme of debt relieve and a cancellation of official bilateral debt, and more generous official development assistance for countries committed to poverty reduction. 14. address special needs of land-locked countries and small island developing states. 15. deal comprehensively with the debt problem of developing countries through national and international measures in order to make debt sustainable in the long term.   15. deal comprehensively with the debt problem of developing countries through national and international measures in order to make debt sustainable in the long term. 16. in cooperation with developing countries, develop and implement strategies for decent and productive work for youth. 17. in cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable essential drugs in developing countries. 18. in cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communication technologies.

For people living in extreme poverty, the MDGs represent the potential for a better life in two ways. First, the goals are ends in themselves, in that reduced hunger, gender equality, improved health and education and broader access to safe water and sanitation are of direct benefit to the people. Second, the achievement of the goals could also contribute to economic growth and further development. As such, reducing poverty and respecting human rights are important pre-requisites to peace and stability.

Bibliography

United Nation Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 2007. Governance for the Millennium Development Goals, Core Issues and Good Practices. New York: United Nation.