UN Millennium Development Goals

The United Nations Millennium Development Goals, or MDGs, are a set of global targets aimed at improving the lives of the world’s poorest people by 2015. The MDGs were adopted by 191 United Nations member states in 2000, and they have been the world’s largest and most widely supported anti-poverty effort, consisting of eight goals to be achieved by 2015. The eight goals are: 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 The MDGs have helped to focus the attention of world leaders and the international community on the most pressing development challenges and provide a blueprint for action. They have also been used to guide the allocation of resources and to help countries track progress towards meeting the global development agenda.