IN September 2000, at the United Nations Millennium Summit, world leaders agreed to a set of timebound and measurable goals and targets for combating poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation and discrimination against women.
Placed at the heart of the global agenda, they are now called the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The Summit’s Millennium Declaration also outlined a wide range of commitments in human rights, good governance and democracy.
The UN Millennium Declaration, ratified by 189 UN members, calls for sustained political and economic reform by developing countries.
This reform must be matched by direct support from the developed world in the form of renewed aid commitments, fair access to wealthy markets and modern technologies, debt relief and investment.
Broadly, the goals are:
• Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
• Achieve universal primary education
• Improve maternal health
• Promote gender equality and empower women
• Reduce child mortality
• Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
• Ensure environmental sustainability
• Develop a global partnership for development
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