Millennium Development Goals

Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me. - Matthew 25:40

The Millennium Development Goals comprise a blueprint for action to reduce global poverty significantly by 2015. Adopted in 2000, it is a set of inter-dependent goals agreed to by all the world’s countries and all the world’s leading development institutions. The MDGs have galvanized unprecedented efforts to meet the needs of the world’s poorest.

Pope Paul VI in his statement On the Development of Peoples (Populorum Progressio) in 1967 referenced the scripture that asks “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” (1 John 3:17). As people of faith we cannot look the other way while our brothers and sisters live in misery.

The Declaration echoes this concern:

“We recognize that, in addition to our separate responsibilities to our individual societies, we have a collective responsibility to uphold the principles of human dignity, equality and equity at the global level.”

Eight goals have been agreed:

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
8. Develop a global partnership for development

Catholic Church Involvement:

Along with many Civil Society organizations, the US Council of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Catholic Relief Services launched a campaign in 2005 to focus attention on the MDGs. A Catholic Campaign Against Global Poverty advocates for U.S. policies that foster economic and social development for people living in poverty throughout the world. The campaign focuses on three areas of U.S. economic policy:

• Trade: Shaping U.S. trade policies to overcome poverty and promote human development are central priorities.
• Aid: Supporting effective aid programs that foster long-term development and empowerment of the poor.
• Debt: Canceling debts of the poorest countries in ways that reduce poverty and promote dignity

Progress to date:

The UN issued an extensive progress report in 2007 – the midpoint of the MDG campaign. It concluded that some progress had been made, yet much needs to be done. As the report states: “adequate resources need to be made available to countries in a predictable way for them to be able to effectively plan the scaling up of their investments.” Yet, many donor countries have failed to live up to their promises.

The Report argues that the MDGs can still be achieved. “Success in some countries demonstrates that rapid and large-scale progress towards the MDGs is feasible if we combine strong government leadership, good policies and practical strategies for scaling up public investments in vital areas with adequate financial and technical support from the international community.”

Take Action – Join:

• Catholic Campaign Against Global Poverty
• End Poverty 2015 Millennium Campaign
• ONE Campaign: The Campaign to Make Poverty History

Links:

• UN Millennium Development Goals
• CRS and USCCB Catholic Campaign Against Global Poverty
  

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