World Bank Website on Millennium Development Goals
June 26, 2003
by World Bank Group
The World Bank has established a website providing information resources concerning the development goals agreed by UN member states as part of the world body's "Millennium Declaration," adopted during the 55th General Assembly in 2000.
At the Millennium Summit in September 2000 the states of the United Nations reaffirmed their commitment to working toward a world in which sustaining development and eliminating poverty would have the highest priority. The Millennium Development Goals grew out of the agreements and resolutions of world conferences organized by the United Nations in the past decade. The goals have been commonly accepted as a framework for measuring development progress:
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; and
8. Develop a global partnership for development.
The goals focus the efforts of the world community on achieving significant, measurable
improvements in people's lives. They establish yardsticks for measuring results, not just for developing countries but for rich countries that help to fund development programs and for the multilateral institutions that help countries implement them.
The first seven goals mutually reinforcing each other, and aim at reducing poverty in all its forms. The last goal -- a global partnership for development -- addresses the preferred approach toward achieve the first seven.
Many of the poorest countries will need additional assistance and must look to the rich countries to provide it. Low-income, heavily indepbeted countries will need further help in reducing their debt burdens. All countries will benefit from reduced barriers to trade, which will allow freer exchange of goods and services.
For the poorest countries, many of the goals seem far out of reach. Even in better-off countries, certain regions or groups may lag behind. Countries need to set their own goals and work to ensure that poor people are included in the benefits of development.
Link: http://www.developmentgoals.org [20 KB HTML]
Keywords: Millennium Development Goals, development, poverty, nutrition, education, literacy, gender, women, child mortality, health, dis