Q & A

Are the Millennium Development Goals achievable?

Yes, if a breakthrough is achieved in 2005. Even in the poorest countries, the Goals can still be met by 2015. The Millennium Project’s report outlines what needs to be done, where immediate action should be taken, and how much it would cost. The Millennium Project’s research shows that we have the knowledge and technology to help countries meet the Goals. Proven interventions, such as insecticide-treated anti-malarial bednets, nutrients for depleted soils, and increased teacher training, can dramatically accelerate progress toward the Goals. The Millennium Project also demonstrates that the cost of meeting the Goals would be approximately half of one percent of the gross national product (GNP) of the industrialized nations – less, in fact, than the 0.7% that the wealthy nations have already promised to contribute to the world’s poor.

To achieve any particular Goal, it is not enough to invest only in the corresponding sector. Conversely, interventions in any one sector may have effects on several Goals. For example, reducing gender inequality is essential for reducing hunger, containing HIV/AIDS, promoting environmental sustainability, upgrading slums, and reducing child and infant mortality. Ready access to clean water, electricity, and modern cooking and heating fuels are essential for ensuring that clinics and hospitals function, for reducing women and girls’ time burdens so that they can engage in productive economic activity and attend school, and so forth. Reaching the Millennium Development Goals thus depends on ambitious action across many sectors. This point must be kept in mind when evaluating priorities in any country or region.