UN Millennium Development Goals: Evaluation

¶ … Goals

Adopted by the UN in the year 2000, the UN Millennium Development Goals, in the words of Hopper (2012, 13), sought to synthesize "the various declarations and targets from the numerous international summits and conferences held during the 1990s." Commonly referred to as the MDGs, the Millennium Development Goals are eight in number. They include: "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; global partnership for development" (United Nations, 2014).

For this discussion, I will largely concern myself with one of the goals I have listed above. Given the kind of suffering vulnerable populations are exposed to as a result of extreme poverty, I will be evaluating the first MDG, i.e. eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. To monitor progress, the MDG has three key targets. The first target, in this case, has got to do with halving extreme poverty, with the timeline for accomplishment being between 1990 and 2015 (United Nations, 2014). The second target according to the United Nations website involves ensuring that all people (including but not limited to young people and women) are granted access to full and productive employment as well as decent work (United Nations, 2014). Lastly, we have the target that seeks to reduce, by half, the number of people suffering from hunger - with the timeline for accomplishment of the said goal being between 1990 and 2015 (United Nations, 2014).

Generally, it is important to note that while some of the targets highlighted above have already been meet, years ahead of the proposed deadline; other targets are within reach, still within the said deadline. The second target, however, may not be fully met within the time frame proposed. With regard to the first goal, it is important to note that by the year 2010, extreme poverty had already been reduced by half -- five years ahead of the proposed deadline of 2015 (United Nations, 2014). With regard to the second target, the United Nations website points out that as far as employment is concerned, there is still a persistent gender gap (United Nations, 2014). Further, there is still a significant number of workers living below the poverty line, with the indicator in this case being daily earnings below $1.25. Although this particular target may not be fully achieved ahead of 2015, concerted efforts by the actors involved could move the objective closer to the mark. When it comes to the third target, i.e. reducing, by half, the number of those suffering from hunger, the United Nations website points out that the same is within reach (United Nations, 2014). It is estimated that approximately 870 million people are still undernourished -- an indication that there is still more to be done to achieve this target by 2015. Some of the stakeholders involved, in this case, include but they are not limited to, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank. The relevance of FAO cannot also be overstated, especially given the role it plays in the development of standards and methods for agriculture and food statistics. Like the World Bank, the IMF offers grants and loans to countries, in what is meant to improve long-term conditions (Starbird, Deboer, and Pettitt 2004, 43).