In the year 2000, world leaders from 189 countries endorsed a bold plan to tackle the most pressing global challenges. They set eight Mission-critical targets called the Millennium Development Goals with a 2015 deadline to spur collective action and measure progress.
The eight goals to be accomplished were:
- 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
- Develop a global partnership for development
These goals were backed with concrete metrics of 21 targets and 60 indicators designed to keep the world accountable for results.
By 2015, humanity had made impressive headway: extreme poverty dropped significantly, gender parity in primary school enrollment became widespread, child mortality more than halved, maternal health improved, and billions gained access to clean water and sanitation. However, progress was not universal—some regions lagged, and not all targets were met by the deadline.
The MDGs helped sharpen global focus, create momentum, and lay a foundation for the more ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which took over in 2016 with a broader horizon and deeper commitments.
By blending ambition with measurement, the MDGs represented a turning point in how nations agreed to work together to make tangible improvements in human well-being.
List of recommended resources #
For a broad overview #
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
This article by the World Health Organization (WHO) gives an overview of the millennium development goals along with a progress report on the health-related MDGs.
Transitioning from the MDGs to the SDGs
This video by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) gives a brief about the millennium development goals and the progress that has been achieved so far along with the recently adopted framework of goals known as the sustainable development goals.
For in-depth understanding #
Efficiency in Reaching the Millennium Development Goals
This paper by Ruwan Jayasuriya and Quentin Wodon examines how improving efficiency, alongside increasing inputs, can enhance progress toward the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Using both global panel data and subnational data from Argentina and Mexico, the study analyzes efficiency in achieving outcomes related to education, health, and GDP—key indicators linked to the MDGs. The findings suggest that while expanding resources is important, significant gains can also be achieved by using existing inputs more effectively, highlighting the role of efficiency in meeting the MDGs.
Introduction to the Millennium Development Goals
This guide by the Asian Development Bank provides a comprehensive introduction to the millennium development goals adopted at the Millennium Summit in September 2000. It provides an outline of the eight target goals and the various indicators for monitoring their progress.
Case study #
Agriculture and Achieving the Millennium Development Goals
This report by the World Bank focuses on the first MDG, concerned with eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, but looks at the direct and indirect links between the MDGs and agriculture. The report examines how trade and macroeconomic policies for agriculture can improve the attainment of the MDGs, particularly the goal of halving poverty.
The Millennium Development Goals for Health: Rising to the Challenges
This report by Mariam Claeson and Adam Wagstaff analyzes the health and nutrition dimensions of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), adopted at the Millennium Summit in 2000. It reviews progress and challenges in reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, and combating major diseases, while emphasizing the severe burden of ill health and premature death in developing countries.
