This report examines the progress made in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2011 and outlines how to meet the goals by the agreed deadline of 2015. It is based on a master set of data compiled by an Inter-Agency and Expert Group on MDG Indicators led by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the UN Secretariat. The Group comprises representatives of the international organisations whose activities include the preparation of one or more of the series of statistical indicators that were identified as appropriate for monitoring progress towards the MDGs. A number of national statisticians and outside expert advisers also contributed.
Key Findings:
- Poverty continues to decline in many countries and regions. Despite significant setbacks after the 2008-2009 economic downturn, the world is still on track to reach the poverty-reduction target. By 2015, it is now expected that the global poverty rate will fall below 15%, well under the 23% target. This global trend mainly reflects rapid growth in Eastern Asia, especially China.
- Some of the poorest countries have made the greatest strides in education. Burundi, Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Togo and the United Republic of Tanzania have achieved or are nearing the goal of universal primary education. Considerable progress has also been made in Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Guinea, Mali, Mozambique and Niger, where net enrolment ratios in primary school increased by more than 25% from 1999 to 2009. With an 18% gain between 1999 and 2009, sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the best record of improvement.
- Targeted interventions have succeeded in reducing child mortality. Between 2000 and 2008, the combination of improved immunisation coverage and the opportunity for second-dose immunisations led to a 78 per cent drop in measles deaths worldwide. These averted deaths represent one quarter of the decline in mortality from all causes among children under five.
- Increased funding and control efforts have cut deaths from malaria by 20% worldwide. The largest absolute drops in malaria deaths were in Africa, where 11 countries have reduced malaria cases and deaths by over 50%.
- Investments in preventing and treating HIV are yielding results. New HIV infections are declining steadily, led by sub-Saharan Africa. Thanks to increased funding and the expansion of major programmes, the number of people receiving antiretroviral therapy for HIV or AIDS increased 13-fold from 2004 to 2009. As a result, the number of AIDS-related deaths declined by 19% over the same period.
- Every region has made progress in improving access to clean drinking water. An estimated 1.1 billion people in urban areas and 723 million people in rural areas gained access to an improved drinking water source over the period 1990-2008.
- Although many countries have demonstrated that progress is possible, efforts need to be intensified. They must also target the hardest to reach: the poorest of the poor and those disadvantaged because of their sex, age, ethnicity or disability. Disparities in progress between urban and rural areas remain daunting.
- Further and faster movement towards achievement of the MDGs will require a rejuvenated global partnership, expeditious delivery on commitments already made, and an agile transition to a more environmentally sustainable future.
Recommendations:
