 In
September 2000, most of the countries of the world agreed to cut extreme poverty and hunger in half by the year 2015. What will
it take to accomplish this—and to it make stay?
Reducing poverty means providing the basic things people need
to live. Basic life needs include having enough nutritious food
to eat and clean water to drink, having a home to live in, having
access to good health services, being able to go to school, being
able to find work, etc.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight targets that
would help meet these basic needs for most people. Only then will
the lives of the very poor be improved in a lasting way. And,
development experts believe that if the MDGs are reached, the
number of poor people in the world would be cut in half. The MDGs
should be achieved by the year 2015.
The Millennium Development Goals were written by the United
Nations, governments, international development organizations
and other people who are concerned with poverty in the world.
The goals were drafted because these organizations wanted to
do two things: First, they wanted to help poor people become self-sufficient
and be able to contribute to their society. Second, they wanted
to be able to measure how much progress has been made in reducing
poverty in the world and in helping poor countries develop.
They considered some of the different problems which make and
keep people poor, and came up with the following list of goals:
- Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
- Improve maternal health
- Achieve universal primary education
- Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
- Promote gender equality and empower women
- Ensure environmental sustainability
- Reduce child mortality
- Develop a global partnership for development
Related Links
Will each region in the world reach the goals?
www.developmentgoals.org
www.un.org/millennium
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