In the year 2000, the United Nations developed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The aim was to free people globally from the hopeless and dehumanizing state of intense poverty levels. At the time, 189 United Nations member states committed to achieving these objectives by the year 2015. The millennium goals translate into eight international development goals formed following the millennium summit. The first goal was to eradicate hunger and extreme poverty. The second goal was to attain primary education for primary aged children. Thirdly, enhance women empowerment and gender equal. Fourthly, help decline rates of child mortality. The fifth goal was to advance maternal health. The sixth goal was to combat diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, and other diseases. The seventh goal was to ensure environmental sustainability globally. The last goal is for development countries to develop a global partnership (Bourguignon, Timmer Lofgren, Vander 109). This article will focus on the progress and challenges of the millennium development goals.
The progress towards achieving these goals was uneven. Most developing countries did not realize these goals, while few others attained them. Some of the progress of the millennium development goals includes reduction in poverty rates. In the year, 1990 poverty rates in developing countries were at 47%. In 2015, the rates reduced to 14%. Worldwide the number of out of school children has reduced from 100 million in the year 2000 to about 57 million in 2015. The goals have also been able to eliminate gender disparity in education as many girls are currently in schools compared to 15 years ago. On the other hand, the proportion of women in parliament have increase in about 90% of the countries in the United Nations MDGs. Globally, the death rates in children (under five years) have reduced from 12.7 million to 6 million between the year 2000 and the year 2015. Also, the maternal mortality has declined by 45% in the past two decades (Jackline, Golda, & Halley 113). The number of HIV patients has fallen from 3.5 million to 2.1 million between the year 2000 and the year 2013. The number of people globally who can access piped water has increased; approximately1.9 billion human beings have piped water. There has been an increase in development aid from developed countries from $81 billion in 2000 to $135.2 billion in 2014 (Sen 661).
Some of the targets of the millennium goals are unachievable. Developed countries have been able to achieve the target of halving people who spend below $1.25 a day. However, maternal mortality and child mortality has declined by a half. Some of the targets that were not achievable include education and sanitation target (Birds & Sinding 54). One of the reasons these targets were unattainable is because the UN millennium goals progress was uneven across countries.
The United Nations Millennium goals have had its share of critics. Some of the criticisms include the lack of enough power and explanation behind their set goals. Another critique is that MDGs mechanisms aim at introducing local change through external innovations financed externally. Other critiques also argue that MDGs focuses on donor achievements instead of development success. Some of the critics include the international planning committee for food and sovereignty together with Deneulin and Shahani. The international planning committee for food and sovereignty analyzes MDGs lack of legitimacy. They argue that it fails to include voices of the participants that they seek to help. Deneulin and Shahani attack MDGs on human rights by arguing that it fails to emphasize on local participation and empowerment (Carl and Toshiko 81). The assessments of both critics are true and MDGs should consider them in their next step.
Despite the limitations, global goals can be useful in a number of ways. For example, in African, it has improved the human rights and the standards of living. In addition, it has helped in health capital objectives such as education, healthcare, and nutrition. Some of the improvements in the infrastructure are also linked with the MDGs (World Health Organization and UNICEF 43). The challenges facing population growth are addressable if the global goals are to be even in their progress. The goals can focus more on poor countries where maternal and birth mortality rates are very high. On the other hand, the goals can also focus on secondary education enrollment worldwide to increase the numbers and literacy levels. Finally, the goals should focus on the developing countries to attain the target of reducing people living below $1.25 a day by a half.
Works Cited
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Jacqueline, E Darroch, Sedgh Gilda and Ball Haley. Responding to Women Needs. Newyork:
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Sen, A. "Why Health Equity?" Health Economics (2012): 655-666.
World Health Organization and UNICEF. Building a Future for Women and Children. Geneva:
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