In 2000, world leaders met in New York for the UN Millennium Summit, where they agreed on a set of common benchmarks that would improve social, economic and health conditions in the world's poorest countries. Developed countries agreed to help developing nations meet these eight benchmarks, known as the Millennium Development Goals, by the year 2015.

The first seven goals set targets for social equity, economic development, education and improved health. They include ensuring primary education for all children, slashing child mortality rates, lifting millions out of abject poverty and reversing the spread of diseases such as AIDS and malaria.

The final goal recognizes that assistance from developed countries is essential to the effort's success. Wealthy countries, goal eight says, should contribute to the welfare of developing nations through trade reforms, development assistance, debt relief, access to essential medicine and technology transfers.

All 191 UN member states have pledged to meet eight key goals to ensure improvements in fundamental human needs by 2015. Approximately $75 billion will be required over the next decade to achieve these eight Millennium Development Goals.

Five years after they were announced, progress on the Millennium Development Goals has been uneven. Southeast Asia, for example, has achieved steep declines in the under-five mortality rate, while the number of Sub-Saharan Africans living in extreme poverty has actually increased. Earlier this year, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the goals can still be met by 2015, "but only if all involved break with business as usual and dramatically accelerate and scale up action now."

Annan's call to action will greet global leaders at September's World Summit in New York, where they debate what must be done over the next decade to achieve the Millennium Development Goals on schedule. Mercy Corps, as part of a broader effort by the ONE Campaign, will press U.S. leaders to fulfill our commitment to helping poor nations achieve the goals by committing to its fair share of aid and by working to level the playing field of world trade -- steps that will help build peace and prosperity around the globe.

The Eight Millennium Development Goals



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, and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
8. Develop a global partnership for development

"If the measures are really taken," said UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the close of the September 2000 UN Millennium Summit, "we all know the targets can be reached."

You can help ensure the world reaches these goals by signing The ONE Declaration, which asks the U.S. government to do its part by dedicating 1 percent of the federal budget to fight global AIDS and extreme poverty.

Q&A on UN Millennium Development Goals

Q. How did the Millennium Development Goals come about?
A. They evolved from several major international agreements by UN member states in the 1990s, culminating in the United Nations Millennium Declaration, which was endorsed by all 191 UN member countries in September 2000. Shortly thereafter, the commitments in the declaration were translated into eight benchmarks -- the Millennium Development Goals -- to be achieved by 2015.

Q. What are the Millennium Development Goals? Why are they significant?
A. Goal 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger
Halve by 2015 the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day.

Every 3.6 seconds someone dies of starvation, usually a child under the age of 5.

Goal 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education
Ensure that all boys and girls are able to complete a full course of primary school by 2015.

The children of a woman with five years of primary school education have a survival rate 40 percent higher than children of women with no education.

Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
Eliminate gender disparities in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005 and at all levels by 2015.

More than 40 percent of women in Africa do not have access to primary education.

Goal 4: Reduce Child Mortality
Reduce by two thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate.

Every year six million children die from malnutrition before their fifth birthday.

Goal 5: Improve Maternal Health
Reduce the maternal mortality ratio by three quarters between the years 1990 and 2015.

Every minute a woman dies from complications relating to pregnancy or childbirth.

Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and other Diseases
Halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS and the incidence of malaria and other major diseases by 2015.

In 2004, 3.1 million people died of AIDS, and 4.9 million became infected with HIV.

Goal 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability
Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs and reverse the loss of environmental resources; by 2015 reduce by half the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water; by 2020 achieve significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers.

Every day 3,900 children under the age of five die from lack of sanitation and clean drinking water.

Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development
Rich countries are responsible for establishing equitable access to their markets and technology; sharing a commitment to good governance, development and poverty reduction; canceling bilateral debt; allowing tariff- and quota-free access to markets; giving more generous financial assistance; providing access to affordable essential drugs; and making available the benefits of new technologies.

Five years after they were announced, progress on the Millennium Development Goals has been uneven. Southeast Asia, for example, has achieved steep declines in the under-five mortality rate, while the number of Sub-Saharan Africans living in extreme poverty has actually increased.

Q. What's the progress been like in the first five years?
A. Progress on the MDGs has been uneven at best. East Asia, led by rapid growth in China and India, has made the greatest gains, while some indicators in sub-Sarahan Africa have actually worsened. In terms of the specific goals, more children are attending primary schools and women are better represented in the workplace, but the outlook for advances in clean water and natural-resource protection is "grim" and there is little evidence of improvement in the world's malaria-endemic regions, according to the UN.

Q. What challenges lie ahead?
A. UN chief Kofi Annan has called for each developing nation to craft a plan to meet the MDGs, and for developed nations to accelerate their aid pledges, follow through on commitments to eliminate poor countries' debt and level the playing field in global trade.

Q. Why is it our interest to help these countries meet the MDGs?
A. We all benefit when people around the world have the opportunity to live healthy, prosperous lives in stable communities. Americans have always been at the forefront of promoting humanitarian ideals and actions. Our commitment to helping the world's poor countries reach these minimum standards for prosperity, health and equity reflects our shared values.

Q. Do Americans favor additional government spending to achieve the MDGs?
A.Yes. A recent poll by the University of Maryland suggested seven out of 10 Americans are willing to give more money -- up to $50 per taxpayer a year -- to help poor countries meet the goals.




Contributed Dan Sadawski, a writer for Mercy Corps.

To read another Global Envision article about UN Millennium Development Goals, see Make Poverty History .

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