| Spotlight |
With only five years left until the 2015 deadline to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the 2010 UN Summit* on 20-22 September brings together 150 heads of state to discuss an action plan to accelerate progress towards the MDGs. |
At the recent World Summit in New York, ADB - together with ESCAP and UNDP - launched the 2010 report on the status of the MDGs in Asia and the Pacific. |
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Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
Working for Results in Income, Social and Environmental Poverty as well as Global Partnerships
World leaders at the September 2000 UN Millennium Summit agreed on the Millennium Declaration for accelerating democratization and securing peace, scaling up development and poverty reduction, ensuring environmental sustainability, and promoting global partnerships.
The development agenda was further elaborated in 2001 into the Millennium Development Goals. The MDGs are a set of time-bound and measurable targets for combating problems including poverty, hunger, disease, environmental degradation and discrimination against women.
The MDGs are now at the heart of the global development agenda. For each goal, one or more targets have been set, mostly for 2015, using 1990 as a benchmark. Indicators have been identified to measure progress against each target. Each goal, with their respective targets and indicators, needs to be adjusted according to the specific country context.
The goals are:
- Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
- Achieve universal primary education
- Promote gender equality and empower women
- Reduce child mortality
- Improve maternal health
- Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
- Ensure environmental sustainability
- Develop a global partnership for development
While the MDGs focus primarily on social and environmental results for poverty reduction, their achievement requires also investment in economic infrastructure, productive private sector-led employment, and good governance.
ADB - through its Enhanced Poverty Reduction Strategy - is committed to contributing to attainment of the MDGs in partner countries.
To monitor progress, raise awareness, help improve policies and institutions, and develop capacities for achieving the MDGs in Asia and the Pacific, ADB engaged in a regional MDG partnership with the United Nations Development Programme* (UNDP) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific* (UN-ESCAP). The partnership also produces annual MDG Updates and sector specific reports for the region.
The commitment to larger freedom (towards development, security and human rights for all) was again confirmed at the 2005 World Summit in New York. On that occasion, the President of ADB in his Summit speech stressed the need to focus greater attention on the needs of the Asia and Pacific region.
| Did you know? According to an ADB report, global food prices increased again by 30% between February 2010 and 2011. If this persists throughout 2011, the impact on poverty would be high. A 10% increase in food price would result 64.4 million more poor people. A 30% increase in the food prices would raise the poverty incidence in the region from 27.1% to 32.9% (an additional 193.2 million poor people). Countries like rural India, Lao PDR, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, Cambodia, Timor L'este, and rural China, would be particularly affected, while middle income countries of the region would be less affected. |
View ADB's knowledge products and operational expertise on supporting MDG related development results.
View the Millennium Development Goals Statistical Tables.
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