Millennium Development Goals (2001)

In 2001, a working group made up of representatives of the United Nations (UN), the World Bank, the OECD and other organizations drew up a list of targets: the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). All members of the United Nations agreed to implement these goals by 2015. Numerous NGOs and government-supported institutions are also working on strategies for their implementation within the context of development research, at both the local and the international levels.

In addition, in April 2001 the Federal German Cabinet adopted its Program of Action 2015.

The United Nations’ eight Millennium Development Goals are as follows:

1. Reduce the level of extreme poverty and hunger by one-half (the percentage of people living on less than one dollar per day is to be cut in half by 2015)
2. Enable every child to receive an elementary school education
3. Promote gender equality and women’s participation in the political, economic and social spheres, particularly with respect to education and training
4. Reduce child mortality (lower the rate of mortality among children under the age of five by two-thirds) 
5. Improve maternal healthcare (reduce the rate of maternal mortality by three-quarters) 
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other communicable diseases
7. Promote ecological sustainability (improve environmental protection)   
8. Establish a global partnership to promote development