Evolution of the Millennium Development Goals

The Millennium Declaration of 2000 set out an ambitious international agenda to tackle peace and security, development, human rights, and the environment. Alongside development goals on poverty, water and education, commitments were also made to promoting democracy and respect for all human rights. This included the right to development and relevant economic, social and cultural rights, with a particular focus on the rights of minorities, women and migrants, and the right to access to information.

At the United Nations Millennium Summit in the year 2000, world leaders made a historic promise: they signed the Millennium Declaration, agreeing to work together to improve the lives of the world’s poorest people. For the first time, rich and poor countries agreed on a global compact and recognized their shared responsibility to end poverty and its root causes once and for all.

G-8/G-20 Pledge Important New Commitments to World’s Poorest, But Remain Silent on Past Unmet Promises

The last two decades have shown that it is possible to defeat the scourge of poverty. Progress has not been uniform across countries, and there have been setbacks and disappointments. But overall, the rate of progress in reducing poverty and in increasing access to basic health, education, water, and other essential services is unparalleled in many countries’ histories.

This manual is a guide for use in Parliaments and is intended to provide a set of practical tools for Parliamentary engagement with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This manual provides examples of mechanisms which have been used in Parliaments around the world in order to ensure that achieving the principles outlined in the MDGs remain at the forefront of the Parliamentary agenda, and gives tips for Parliaments on how to implement the mechanisms described in this handbook.

Urgent reform is needed. EU farm policies should help – not hinder – the achievement of important objectives such as reaching the Millennium Development Goals, ensuring environmental sustainability and improving social equity. As EU member countries enter into negotiations over the next EU budget, they should review the current subsidy levels that have led to ballooning deficits and spending. Now is the time to fundamentally reform the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) which has resulted in waste and inequality at home and crippled developing countries abroad.

Climate change is a pressing global challenge that requires global cooperation at unprecedented scaleand speed. However, at the core of this relatively new area of focus lies the long-standing imperative ofglobal poverty. Not only will climate change impact poverty and threaten the achievement of the MDGs,but addressing poverty, MDGs and development inequalities represent an essential step in tackling theimpacts of climate change.

Constitution Making and Implementation Handbook (Excerpt)

The document was adopted without a vote. This meant that the Declaration won the full endorsement of the international community.

A Toolkit for Activists, Political Parties and Candidates

National and sub-national elections provide important opportunities to establish, reaffirm or redirect development priorities. This short guidebook describes how and why the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) can be important to this process—towards the larger end of achieving human development and a better, more equitable world.

The Millennium Campaign’s annual report for the year 2009.