Full Coverage: MDGs

30.09.2005 African states need to harness their collective power to bargain better deals on debt, aid, and trade reform, says Africa Action's Salih Booker.

29.09.2005 The Delegation of the United Nations in Serbia visited Pirot, a town in Eastern Serbia, to promote the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs), under the campaign of celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the UN.

27.09.2005 Even after 57 years of independence, one has to dream of a ‘‘strong, capable and confident India’’ that is yet to come true. This requires, on one hand, people standing united at whatever level they work together, beyond caste-class and gender divisions, with a deep faith in human equity, commitment to national integrity and the required tolerance to attain and maintain unity. Medha Patkar, noted activist, shares her vision of an empowered India.

26.09.2005 Controversy has erupted over an article questioning whether the Millennium Development Goals are scientifically grounded. Here, David Dickson argues for greater scientific robustness if the UN targets are to be met.
The original article and the responses of Jeffrey Sachs and others can be read on The Millennium Development Goals: How Close Are We?

22.09.2005 Rich nations are simultaneously telling poor countries to rein in their spending while throwing their support behind global anti-poverty goals--which require more spending by poor countries. Anti-spending policies appropriate decades ago are no longer what is needed, say a pair of new reports aimed at the World Bank and IMF meetings this week.

22.09.2005 President Bush's U.N. speech shows he sees some benefit in working with other nations when it comes to fighting terrorism, seeking trade agreements, or preventing the spread of disease, says the U.N. Foundation's Johanna Mendelson Forman, but it's too early to say if this marks a turning point for the hitherto unilateralist Bush administration.

21.09.2005 The Young Global Leaders Summit: Ending Poverty brought together young people from across the U.S. to discuss how to eliminate global poverty during their lifetime--and to bring these concerns to the center of Americans' attention.

20.09.2005 In his address to the United Nations General Assembly, Indian External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh called for strengthening efforts at both national and international levels for "taking us closer to the development targets set in the Millennium declaration five years ago." Expressing his disappointment over the failure of the Outcome Document adopted at the world leaders' summit to address major concerns of the developing world, he also called for making the process of globalization "fairer and more equitable."

20.09.2005 By placing too much emphasis on dubious figures, UN is endangering its Millennium Development Goals drive, a Canadian analyst warns. David Dickson looks at the scientific basis of the world body's targets.

20.09.2005 Meeting at the UN headquarters in New York last week were 191 heads of state and delegates, the largest-ever gathering of world leaders. Initially the World Summit was set to review the status of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), five years on from their origin and ten years from completion.With progress in achieving the goals wildly off-track, was much anticipation and hope resting on this summit to move previous commitments forward.

19.09.2005 The Bush administration's decision to withhold funding to the United Nations Population Fund for the fourth consecutive year was condemned by Population Action International, who said the move puts domestic politics over global womens' health needs.

19.09.2005 ActionAid policy experts on education, women's rights, and HIV/AIDS comment on what the outcome of last week's U.N. World Summit in New York means for people living in poverty.

16.09.2005 The UN Millennium Campaign, which supports citizens’ efforts to hold their governments accountable for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) comments on the ‘outcome document’ which was presented by the General Assembly and will provide the ground for global consensus on development, security, human rights and United Nations renewal. It reminds global leaders that national campaigns in over 75 countries are still looking forward to bold policies and concrete action plans that will enable them to fulfill their commitments on the MDGs.

16.09.2005 Representatives from villages in Africa, Asia, and Latin America have traveled to New York this week to bear witness to the poverty and injustice that continues to mar their respective communities. ActionAid presents their testimony.

15.09.2005 President Bush and other world leaders should follow through on the debt deal announced in July to ensure it is fully implemented by the World Bank and IMF, who hold their annual meetings next week, said the Global Call to Action Against Poverty.

15.09.2005 The energy needs of poor people have been most often met through fossil fuels, but including renewables--such as wind, solar, hydro, geothermal and bioenergy--in the energy portfolio of poor economies is an essential ingredient in achieving the MDGs, say Worldwatch's Chris Flavin and Molly Hull Aeck.

15.09.2005 The vast majority of the one billion people living on less than $1 a day are women, says WomenÂ’s Edge, stressing that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) must do a better job helping the world's poor women. The group asks that the U.S. commit itself to the MDGs and stop attempting to divert the agenda of this week's U.N. World Summit.

14.09.2005 A new $4 billion fund supported by the U.K., France, Italy, Spain, and Sweden will support and scale up the work of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization over the next ten years and is expected to save 10 million lives in the developing world.

14.09.2005 Unless the UN uses scientifically valid measurements, the millions of live that the eight Millennium Development Goals are designed to save could be lost, says global development policy specialist.

14.09.2005 Citizens for Global Solutions has launched a nationwide campaign to push the American public into ensuring that the Bush Administration give concrete commitments to make the U.N. stronger and more effective in order to meet the challenges of a new century. A fact sheet explains the issues to be discussed at this week's summit.