What are the MDGs :: United Nations Development Programme

What are the MDGs

At the Millennium Summit in September 2000, heads of state and government from 189 countries reached a historic agreement on the Millennium Declaration, giving voice to shared values and an unequivocal commitment to halving world poverty by 2015. The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (and their 18 targets and 48 indicators) contained therein embody the solemn commitment of all countries to promoting development. They are now an important yardstick of the international community to measure development progress.

The MDGs emphasize shared accountability and reciprocal obligations among developed and developing countries for key development outcomes. In addition, the global MDG effort rests on the premise that participation of every member of society is essential to the attainment of these goals. Not only is cooperation needed between countries, but campaigns need to mobilize society and bring together different actors of society - governments, private sector, civil society, the general public and the media – to be successful.

Goals and Targets

Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
	Reduce by half the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people Reduce by half the proportion of people who suffer from hunger
Achieve universal primary education
	Ensure that all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling
Promote gender equality and empower women
	Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005, and at all levels by 2015
Reduce child mortality
	Reduce by two thirds the mortality rate among children under five
Improve maternal health
	Reduce by three quarters the maternal mortality ratio Achieve, by 2015, universal access to reproductive health
Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
	Halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS Achieve, by 2010, universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for all those who need it Halt and begin to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases
Ensure environmental sustainability
	Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes; reverse loss of environmental resources Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss Reduce by half the pro-portion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water Achieve significant improvement in lives of at least 100 million slum-dwellers by 2020
Develop a global partnership for development
	Develop further an open trading and financial system that is rule-based, predictable and non-discriminatory. Includes a commitment to good governance, development and poverty reduction nationally and internationally Address the least developed countries’ special needs. This includes tariff and quota-free access for their exports; enhanced debt relief for heavily indebted poor countries; cancellation of official bilateral debt; and more generous official development assistance for countries committed to poverty reduction Address the special needs of landlocked and small island developing States Deal comprehensively with developing countries’ debt problems through national and international measures to make debt sustainable in the long term In cooperation with the developing countries, develop decent and productive work for youth In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable essential drugs in developing countries In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies especially information and communications technologies

UNDP MDGs Video(s)

"Thank You" - It will never be possible to thank you enough for helping to halve poverty.

The Role of UNDP

The MDGs provide a framework for the entire UN system to work coherently together toward a common end. UNDP’s global development network on the ground in 166 countries is uniquely positioned to help advocate for change, connect countries to knowledge and resources, and coordinate broader efforts at the country level. UNDP's work on the MDGs is guided by the United Nations Core Strategy on MDGs and focuses on:

Campaigning & mobilisation: Supporting advocacy for the MDGs and working with partners to mobilise the commitments and capabilities of broad segments of society to build awareness on the MDGs;

Analysis: Researching and sharing best strategies for meeting the MDGs in terms of innovative practices, policy and institutional reforms, means of policy implementation, and evaluation of financing options;

Monitoring: Helping countries report advancement towards the MDGs and track progress;

Operational activities: Goal-driven assistance to support governments to tailor MDGs to local circumstances and challenges;
address key constraints to progress on the MDGs.