The Millennium Declaration, prepared by the United Nations (UN), emerged after the meeting of 189 leaders countries, in September 2002, with the objective of discussing actions to promote an improvement in the population's standard of living worldwide. Through this meeting, a set of eight goals to be achieved by 2015, known as the Millennium Development Goals, was defined.
1 – Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
This goal aims to halve the number of extremely poor people, that is, those who live on less than $1.25 a day. In 1990, the percentage of individuals living on less than $1.25 a day was 41.7%. In 2005, this index dropped to 25.2%. However, it occurs unevenly, as China has obtained more satisfactory data. On the other hand, sub-Saharan African countries achieved a reduction of only 6.5%.
2 – Guarantee basic basic education for everyone.
UNESCO annually prepares the Global Report on Education for All. According to the 2009 report, fundamental education showed advances in all regions of the world. Data indicate that enrollments in basic education were 80% in 1991, and, in 2005, they increased to 88%. However, approximately 100 million school-age children are not enrolled.
3 – Promote gender equality and women's empowerment.
More than two-thirds of countries have already achieved around 98% gender parity for children and adolescents enrolled in school education. In the professional sphere, however, in some countries in Africa, only one in five workers is female.
4 – Reduce child mortality.
This issue has shown positive results in most countries in Latin America, Asia and Eastern Europe. However, in Sub-Saharan Africa this target is far from being reached, as in some countries this indicator has worsened.
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5 – Improve maternal health.
According to data from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), currently 500,000 women die annually from complications in pregnancy or childbirth. This figure is most alarming in sub-Saharan Africa, where one in 16 women dies during childbirth. In Latin American, Asian, and Eastern European countries, maternal mortality rates have improved significantly.
6 – Combat AIDS, malaria and other diseases.
The UN claims that an efficient system for measuring the incidence of AIDS, malaria and other infectious diseases is lacking. It is estimated that, daily, about 6.8 thousand people are infected with the HIV virus and that 5.7 die as a result of AIDS. Sub-Saharan Africa is the region of the planet that has the highest number of people with the HIV virus.
7 – Ensure environmental sustainability.
This indicator is measured through the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2), protected areas and access to water and environmental sanitation. Currently, the terrestrial and marine protected areas total more than 20 million square kilometers.
According to data from the Millennium Development Atlas, in 2006, about 880 million people still did not have access to drinking water and 2.5 billion were not benefited by sanitation services basic. However, the goal of halving the number of people without access to safe drinking water must be met.
8 – Promote a global partnership for development.
One of the great obstacles to economic development in poor countries is the financial debt owed to rich countries. A small advance in this process takes place through the World Partnership for Development, an action of fundamental importance to achieving the other goals.
By Wagner de Cerqueira and Francisco
Graduated in Geography
Brazil School Team
Curiosities- geography - Brazil School
