Background and Evaluation of the Millennium Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are categorized under Unit 7 (U7).
Section 7.1 focuses on the background of these goals, primarily rooted in the legacy of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The MDGs were established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in the year $2000$ .
The framework consisted of eight primary goals to be achieved by $2015$ :
- 1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
- 2. Achieve universal primary education.
- 3. Promote gender equality and empower women.
- 4. Reduce child mortality.
- 5. Improve maternal health.
- 6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases.
- 7. Ensure environmental sustainability.
- 8. Develop a global partnership for development.

Targets:
- Halve the proportion of people whose income is less than $\$1.25$ a day between the years $1990$ and $2015$ .
- Halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger between $1990$ and $2015$ .
Results:
- The specific target of halving the number of people living on less than $\$1.25$ a day was successfully met.
- Globally, the population living in extreme poverty fell from $1.9 \times 10^{9}$ in $1990$ to $836 \times 10^{6}$ in $2015$ .
- The target for halving the proportion of people suffering from hunger was narrowly missed.
- Undernourished populations in developing regions dropped from $23.3\%$ in $1990$ to $12.9\%$ in $2014$ .

Targets:
- Ensure that by $2015$ , children everywhere (both boys and girls) are able to complete a full course of primary schooling.
Results:
- Primary school enrollment figures experienced an impressive rise, but the goal of universal education was just missed.
- Enrollment reached over $90\%$ in most developing regions, with the notable exception of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Targets:
- Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education no later than the year $2015$ .
Results:
- Progress was identified as particularly strong in Southern Asia.
- Approximately $\frac{2}{3}$ of developing countries achieved gender parity in primary education.
- Analysis of this goal also considers education levels, employment and salary equality, and other fundamental rights.

Targets:
- Reduce the under-five mortality rate by $\frac{2}{3}$ between $1990$ and $2015$ .
Results:
- The global under-five mortality rate declined by more than half.
- Deaths dropped from $90$ per $1,000$ live births to $43$ per $1,000$ live births.
- Despite this progress, it fell short of the targeted reduction of $\frac{2}{3}$ .

Targets:
- Reduce the maternal mortality ratio by $\frac{3}{4}$ between $1990$ and $2015$ .
Results:
- Since $1990$ , the maternal mortality ratio has been cut nearly in half.
- This improvement fell short of the intended $\frac{3}{4}$ reduction.

Targets:
- Halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS by $2015$ .
- Halt and begin to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases by $2015$ .
Results:
- The target to halt and reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS was not met, though new infections fell by $40\%$ .
- The global malaria incidence rate fell by an estimated $37\%$ .

Targets:
- Integrate sustainable development principles into country policies and reverse the loss of environmental resources (forests, fish stocks, water resources, and biodiversity).
- Reduce carbon emissions and the consumption of ozone-depleting substances.
- Halve the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by $2015$ .
- Achieve a significant improvement in the lives of at least $100 \times 10^{6}$ slum dwellers by $2020$ .
Results:
- Developed regions underperformed in several areas: average carbon emissions per person remained higher than in developing regions.
- Australia saw a net loss of forest area due to drought and fires.
- Global fish stocks faced depletion due to overfishing.
- Success: The target of halving the population without access to safe water was achieved between $1990$ and $2015$ .
- Success: Worldwide, $2.1 \times 10^{9}$ people gained access to improved sanitation.

Targets:
- Address specific needs of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) through development aid, debt relief, and improved market access for exports.
Results:
- Official Development Assistance (ODA) from wealthy nations to developing nations increased by $66\%$ between $2000$ and $2014$ , reaching a total of $\$135.2 \times 10^{9}$ .
- In $2014$ , $79\%$ of imports from developing countries to developed countries were admitted duty-free.

Uneven Progress:
- Regions with better economic performance and growth (e.g., developed regions and Asia) achieved more goals.
- Sub-Saharan Africa lag behind most other regions.
Consumption and Sustainability Paradox:
- Developed regions perform better in socio-economic development metrics but struggle with environmental sustainability due to high consumption patterns.
Key Variables of Difference:
- Progress varies significantly between and within regions and countries.
- Disparities exist across different age groups, genders, income groups, and ethnicities.
- Success varies depending on the specific target within an aspect.

Summary: The MDGs were largely successful, but significant shortfalls remain.
Key Success Point: In terms of Goal 1, the MDGs catalyzed the largest and most successful anti-poverty movement in history, yielding impressive and inspirational results through global focus.
Remaining Challenges:
- Approximately $800 \times 10^{6}$ people still live in extreme poverty and suffer from hunger (living on less than $\$1.25$ per day).
- Gender inequality remains a persistent issue despite various successes.
- Large gaps in progress exist between the richest and poorest households, as well as between rural and urban populations.
- Climate change and environmental degradation are actively undermining current progress; poor populations suffer the most from these impacts.
- Conflict is cited as the single biggest threat to human development.
Next Steps: To build upon the momentum and success of the MDGs, countries have transitioned into Phase Two: the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).