At the outset of the current millennium, the United Nations led an effort to set a group of goals to be achieved by 2015.
UN Secretary-General reported in 2014, that "the MDGs have made a profound difference in people’s lives. Global poverty has been halved five years ahead of the 2015 timeframe. Ninety per cent of children in developing regions now enjoy primary education, and disparities between boys and girls in enrolment have narrowed. Remarkable gains have also been made in the fight against malaria and tuberculosis, along with improvements in all health indicators. The likelihood of a child dying before age five has been nearly cut in half over the last two decades. That means that about 17,000 children are saved every day. We also met the target of halving the proportion of people who lack access to improved sources of water."
Today, the world is looking forward to what we can accomplish over the next 15 years. The UN has established the Global Goals for Sustainable Development.
Amina Mohammed is Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Adviser on Post-2015 Development Planning.
Mohammed notes, "The sustainable development agenda addresses the root causes of poverty, inequalities and environmental degradation. It looks at the links between the social, economic and environmental agendas, and it presents more opportunities than the MDGs, which largely focused on the symptoms only."
In an effort to broaden the impact of the U.N.'s efforts, she says, "The sustainable development agenda looks at the links between the social, environmental and economic agendas so it presents more opportunities than the MDGs, which focused purely on the social agenda."
She notes that the new goals are not simply updated outcomes for the old goals, but that the UN is seeking to incorporate all that has been learned. "The sustainable development goals will continue the unfinished business of the MDGs, build on their lessons learned and go well beyond to address new and emerging challenges. Sustainable development is a universal agenda that applies to all people, in all countries and will leave no one behind."
She adds that the Secretary-General said it best in his Synthesis Report, "The Road to Dignity by 2030: We must transform our economies, our environment, and our societies. We must change old mindsets, behaviors, and destructive patterns. All in pursuit of international peace and stability."
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On Friday, July 10, 2015 at 2:00 Eastern, Mohammed will join me for a live discussion about the new goals. Tune in here then to watch the interview live. Post questions in the comments below or tweet questions before the interview to @devindthorpe.
You can download an audio podcast here or subscribe via iTunes.
More about the United Nations:
The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945. It is currently made up of 193 Member States. The mission and work of the United Nations are guided by the purposes and principles contained in its founding Charter.
Mohammed's bio:
Twitter: @AminaJMohammed
Amina J. Mohammed of Nigeria is the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Post-2015 Development Planning.
Ms. Mohammed was previously Senior Special Assistant to the President of Nigeria on the Millennium Development Goals after serving three Presidents over a period of six years. In 2005 she was charged with the coordination of the debt relief funds ($1 billion per annum) towards the achievement of Millennium Development Goals in Nigeria. From 2002-2005, Ms. Mohammed served as coordinator of the Task Force on Gender and Education for the United Nations Millennium Project.
