SYN Media

MDG – a look at the Millennium Development Goals
 
In 2000, the world’s leaders gathered at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to pledge a promise to improve the quality-of-life for the world’s most vulnerable. This promise was articulated in eight development objectives – the Millennium Development Goals – to be achieved by 2015, acting as a blueprint for all countries and development organisations to meet the needs of those unable to help themselves.
 
These goals were:
 
Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education
Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
Goal 4: Reduce child mortality rates 
Goal 5: Improve maternal health
Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development
 
As of 2011, some Goals have already been met, some will not be met before 2015, and others could still be achieved through the collective commitment of the world’s wealthiest nations.
 
Economists believe the MDG’s can be met with funding from 70c of every $100 earned in the world’s rich countries. So far, only five of the 34 ‘developed’ countries have met the modest commitment. Australia – the 2nd most developed nation in the world – has thus far committed 32c of every $100, and is not scheduled to meet 0.7% by 2015. As 2015 nears, the developed world approaches the prospect of publicly reneging on a promise which would leave 1.4  billion human beings surviving on less than $1.25 a day. Without external assistance, individuals living under $1.25 a day are economically unable to improve their lot in life.
 
Dan Pejic and Dom Billings explore the MDG’s, examining individually each Goal’s sub-targets, progress measures, and issues underlying the objectives, as well as featuring interviewees from development organisations.