Background Info

Key problems for meeting MDGs

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-09-21 20:51

BEIJING - Some 140 world leaders on Monday kicked off a three-day high-level meeting at the headquarters of the United Nations to accelerate the implementation of UN anti-poverty goals, or the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

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In September 2000, representatives from 189 countries endorsed the Millennium Declaration, which set out eight targets including slashing poverty, combating disease, fighting hunger, protecting environment and boosting education, and determined to reach the goals by 2015.

According to the Millennium Development Goals Report 2010 released by the United Nations, though much progress has been made across the world concerning some of the MDGs, certain goals may fail to be achieved by 2015.

The following are some of the key problems in meeting the MDGs according to the MDGs Report 2010:

Some countries and regions remain in the danger of entirely missing the first goal of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger.

Progress so far has been insufficient to ensure that all school-aged children complete a full course of primary schooling by 2015.

Maternal mortality reduction has fallen short of the 5.5 percent annual rate needed to meet the target for slashing maternal deaths by three quarters between 1990 and 2015.

Only half of the population in developing countries have had access to toilets or latrines.

A girl in one of the poorest households is still 3.5 times more likely to be out of school than a girl from the richest household.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the growth of developing countries would serve as key to the recovery of the global economy. "By investing in the MDGs, we invest in global economic growth," Ban noted.