In September 2000, world leaders from United Nation´s member states came together in New York to adopt the United Nations´ Millenium Declaration, committing their nations to a new global partnership for creating humane conditions and reducing extreme poverty for all by the year 2015. This was outlined through a series of time-bound targets.
The Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) are addressing extreme poverty in its many dimensions: hunger, disease, lack of adequate shelter, income poverty, and exclusion while promoting gender equality, education, and environmental sustainability. They are likewise basic human rights – the right of each person on earth to survival, health, education, shelter, and security.
Thanks to millions of people taking action and a massive global effort, we have already made real progress. The number of people living in poverty has fallen to less than half of its 1990 level. Over two billion people gained access to better drinking water. The share of slum dwellers living in cities fell, improving the lives of at least 100 million people!
1.4 billion people still live in extreme poverty. Every 4 seconds a child dies from preventable causes and over 900 million, particularly women and young people, suffer from chronic hunger. Meanwhile, our population is set to rise to 9.5 billion by 2050, and the food system is at breaking point.
Climate change threatens to destroy the lives of millions more and undo all the progress we have made so far. Inequality is growing everywhere, and human rights are being undermined in the worlds most fragile and conflict-affected countries while the world economy continues to falter.
Despite all of this, for the first time in history, we do have the resources to end poverty and grow our world sustainably. It will take the work of all of us to make this happen, and we must make our Governments listen and take action on the things that matter most to people everywhere!
The World We Want will gather the priorities of people from every corner of the world and help build a collective vision that will be used directly by the United Nations and World Leaders to plan a new development agenda launching in 2015, one that is based on the aspirations of all citizens!
Share your voice. It all starts with you. What kind of World do you Want?
Since 2005, the World Summit Youth Award has been organized six times – in 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 – as a follow-up activity of the World Summit on Information Society and its action plan towards the year 2015. (more about WSYA events)
UN MDGs – in numbers:
Goal #1 – Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Goal #2 – Achieve universal primary education
Goal #3 – Promote gender equality and empower women
Goal #4 – Reduce child mortality
Goal #5 – Improve maternal health
Goal #6 – Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
Goal #7 – Ensure environmental sustainability
Goal #8 – Develop a global partnership for development