In: Economics
List at least 5 of the Millenium Development Goals and explain the world’s success about reaching them
The United Nations Millennium Development Goals are eight goals that all 191 UN member states have agreed to try to achieve by the year 2015. The United Nations Millennium Declaration, signed in September 2000 commits world leaders to combat poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation, and discrimination against women.
The goals and progress:
(1) Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
A considerable reduction in extreme poverty over the last 25 years. In 1990, nearly 50 percent of the population in developing nations lived on less than $1.25 a day. As of 2015, that proportion has dropped to 14 percent.
The number of people living in extreme poverty worldwide has reduced by more than 50 percent. In 1990, 1.9 billion people were said to be living in extreme poverty, compared to 836 million in 2015. Most progress was seen in the new millennium.
The proportion of undernourished people in the developing world has dropped by almost 50 percent since 1990; from 23.3 percent in 1990 – ’92 to 12.9 percent in 2014 – ’16.
(2) Promote gender equality and empower women
Significant gains in women’s parliamentary representation in nearly 90 percent of 174 countries for which data has been available in the past two decades. At the very least, the average proportion of women in parliament has increased by nearly 100 percent during the last 20 years, yet this still translates to one woman for every five men.
In Southern Asia, the number of girls enrolled in primary school was 74 for every 100 boys in 1990. By 2015, there were 103 girls enrolled for every 100 boys.
The proportion of women in vulnerable employment compared to total female employment has reduced by 13 percent in the period between 1991 and 2015, compared to a 9 percent decrease for men.
(3) Improve maternal health
A 45 percent reduction in the maternity mortality ratio worldwide since 1990, though most of the reduction occurred since 2000.
A 64 percent reduction in maternal mortality ratio in Southern Asia between 1990 and 2013, and 49 percent in sub-Saharan Africa.
A 12 percent increase in the number of births assisted by skilled health personnel globally in 2014 compared to 1990 – 59 percent to 71 percent.
(4) Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other major diseases
40 percent reduction in new HIV infections from 3.5 million cases in 2000 to 2.1 million cases in 2013.
A massive increase in the number of people living with HIV receiving anti-retroviral therapy (ART) globally, from 800,000 in 2003 to 13.6 million in 2014. ART have helped avoid over 7.6 million deaths from AIDS between 1995 and 2013.
Tuberculosis prevention, diagnosis, and treatment interventions conducted between 2000 and 2013 saved an estimated 37 million lives. The TB mortality rate reduced by 45 percent between 1990 and 2013, while prevalence rate fell by 41 percent within the same time period.
(5) Ensure environmental sustainability
A reduction in the proportion of urban population in developing nations living in slums from 39.4 to 29.7 percent in the period between 2000 and 2014.
147 nations in the world have fulfilled the drinking water target; 95 nations have achieved the sanitation target; and 77 nations have met both.
The number of people using improved drinking water sources has increased from 76 percent in 1990 to 91 percent in 2015.
Substantial increase in marine and terrestrial protected areas in many areas since 1990. In Caribbean and Latin America, coverage of terrestrial protected areas increased from 8.8 percent in 1990 to 23.4 percent in 2014.
The virtual elimination of ozone-depleting substances since 1990. Consequently, the ozone layer is expected to recover by around the middle of the century.
(6) Develop a Global Partnership for Development
95 percent of the global population is covered by a mobile cellular signal as of 2015.
The proportion of external debt service to export revenue in the developing world reduced from 12 to 3 percent between 2000 and 2013.
In 2014, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Luxembourg continued to exceed the UN official development assistance target of 0.7 percent of gross national income.
A 66 percent increase in official development assistance from developed nations in real terms in the period 2000 to 2014, reaching $135.2 billion.