“The Millennium Development Goals can be achieved if immediate steps are taken to implement existing commitments. Reaching our goals for development around the world is not only vital for building better, healthier and decent lives for millions of people, it is also essential to building global peace and security. Ours is a generation that can achieve the development goals and free our fellow men, women and children from the abject and dehumanising conditions of extreme poverty.”  - United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

In 2000, at the United Nations Millennium Summit, 189 world leaders adopted the Millennium Declaration and agreed to collective commitments to overcome poverty through a set of eight mutually reinforcing interrelated time-bound goals (MDGs) with related targets. The eight MDGs break down into 21 quantifiable targets that are measured by 60 indicators.

The MDGs synthesise and respecifies the goals of 1990s global UN conferences and provide an accountability framework and global partnership for progressively eradicating poverty in all its dimensions. The MDGs are at the forefront of the global development agenda and represent the international community’s commitment to eradicate poverty by 2015.

In September 2005, the UN World Summit resoundingly endorsed the MDGs. In the outcome document of the Summit, it was agreed that by 2006, all developing countries will prepare bold national strategies to achieve the MDGs, and that developed countries would increase their assistance to developing countries, particularly through higher levels of ODA.

UNDP is working with a wide range of partners to help create coalitions for change to support the goals at global, regional and national levels, to benchmark progress towards them, and to help countries to build the institutional capacity, policies and programmes needed to achieve the MDGs.

Guided by the UN Core Strategy, UNDP's work on the MDGs focuses on coordinating global and local efforts that:

-Campaign and mobilise for the MDGs through advocacy;
-Share the best strategies for meeting the MDGs in terms of innovative practices, policy and institutional reforms, means of policy implementation, and evaluation of financing options;
-Monitor and report progress towards the MDGs; and
-Support governments in tailoring the MDGs to local circumstances and challenges.


Implementation of the MDGs

In 2001, in response to the world leaders' request, UN Secretary General presented the Road Map Towards the Implementation of the United Nations Millennium Declaration, an integrated and comprehensive overview of the situation, outlining potential strategies for action designed to meet the goals and commitments of the Millennium Declaration.

The road map has been followed up since then with annual reports. In 2002, the annual report focused on progress made in the prevention of armed conflict and the treatment and prevention of diseases, including HIV/AIDS and Malaria. In 2003, emphasis was placed on strategies for development and strategies for sustainable development. In 2004, it was on bridging the digital divide and curbing transnational crime.

In 2005, the Secretary-General prepared the first comprehensive five-yearly report on progress toward achieving the MDGs The report reviews the implementation of decisions taken at the international conferences and special sessions on the least developed countries, progress on HIV/AIDS and financing for development and sustainable development.

The MDGs and Malaysia

As outlined in Malaysia’s Millennium Development Goals (MDG) report, Malaysia’s progress towards the MDGs has been a product of policies, strategies, and programmes directed to deal with the challenges of the time. Poverty eradication, the supreme objective among all the MDGs, was already a primary national concern in 1970, when half of all households in Malaysia were living in poverty. By 2002, just 5 percent of households were poor, although poverty levels still vary considerably by state and ethnic group.

The successful poverty-reducing approaches placed a strong emphasis on agricultural and rural development, labour-intensive export industrialization, and the channelling of public investment into education, health, and infrastructure. During the period between 1970 and 1990 poverty reduction was accompanied by a reduction in personal, ethnic, and geographical income inequalities. Subsequently, income inequalities have once again increased––presenting a continuing challenge for policy.

With the fulfilment of so many of the MDG targets, the challenge for Malaysia is to maintain momentum in dealing decisively with the remainder, and to identify the next set of priorities that will keep the nation moving ahead in this exemplary way, continuing to set precedents that others can emulate and moving towards its ultimate objective of becoming a fully developed society.

In addition, Malaysia continues to assist other developing countries to achieve the MDGs through bilateral, regional and multilateral programmes.

UNDP in Malaysia continues to advocate for quality and equity in development outcomes for all Malaysians and to work with relevant partners to ensure that the MGDs are achieved in all communities in the country.