Miniatlas of Millennium Development Goals : Building a Better World

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are a challenge the global community has set for itself. They are a challenge to poor countries to demonstrate good governance and a commitment to poverty reduction. And they are a challenge to wealthy countries to make good on their promise to support economic and social development. The MDGs have captured the world's attention, in part because they can be measured, as this little book demonstrates. More important, the goals address our most human concerns for the welfare of everyone with whom we share this planet. The authors are now one third of the way to the target date of 2015, and there are 100 million fewer people living in extreme poverty than in 1990. By 2015, 500 million more will have achieved at least a minimally acceptable standard of living- the greatest decrease in poverty since the beginning of the industrial revolution. But progress has been uneven, and many of the poorest countries, especially in Africa, lag behind. Extreme poverty means having less than $1 to meet your daily needs. But poverty is not measured in money alone. Poor people lack education, they lack health care, and they often live on wasted lands or in city slums. Solving these problems will require a substantial investment in people as well as in physical assets. Wealthy countries can help, not only through their aid programs- which are important but also by opening their markets and by sharing knowledge. Most important of all, developing countries must unleash the potential of their citizens, empowering them to create a place for themselves and their children in the world.