Post 2015: Global Action for an Inclusive and Sustainable Future

CHApTER OnE
1
The vision of
inclusive and
sustainable
development
outlined in the
Declaration
remains highly
relevant and
should continue
to provide a solid
basis for
international
collective action
on eradicating
poverty.
12
lESSOnS FROm
THE mDg ExpERIEnCE
In 2000, the united nations millennium Summit
concluded with the adoption of the millennium
Declaration, which sets out a series of principles
and priorities for which there is global
consensus and a shared sense of urgency. the
multi-faceted vision of inclusive and sustainable
development (ISD) outlined in the Declaration
remains highly relevant and should continue to
provide a solid basis for international collective
action on eradicating poverty.
Subsequently, the millennium Development Goals
were formulated to facilitate the implementation
of the Declaration commitments by 2015. these
include goals on income poverty, education, gender,
health, environment and global partnerships (see
annex 1). Since then, there have been significant
improvements in many areas of human development.
these achievements set the context for considering
a new framework beyond 2015, both in terms of
understanding how the mDGs contributed to this
success and how a new agreement could sustain
such trends. It is an opportunity to identify the gaps
that remain and where new objectives could support
progress in areas that are lagging behind. this
chapter reviews recent trends in human development,
examines the evidence on the influence of the mDGs
in driving them, reviews the critiques of the mDGs,
and considers the implications for the post-2015
landscape.
EuropEan rEport on DEvElopmEnt 2013
1.1 Progress towards achieving
the MDGs
1.1.1 Overview
the mDGs were adopted in a context in which
extremes of poverty were the norm in many regions.
In 1990, the base year from which mDG progress
is measured, more than half of the population of
asia and sub-Saharan africa (SSa) lived in extreme
income poverty, defined as living on less than $1.25
a day. between a quarter and half of all children in
the two regions were underweight, and in SSa only
half of all children attended school.
Some 20 years later, things are better. Extreme
income poverty has declined to well under half of
the population in asia, although it has been slow
to decline in other regions, particularly in SSa.
Social indicators have improved at a faster rate. the
percentage of underweight children has declined
significantly in many regions of the world. In SSa,
76% of children now attend school, and well over
90% in most of asia. although an unacceptably
large number of people still live in extreme poverty,
the improvements are remarkable.
Globally, there has been progress in reaching
targets in seven of the mDGs – including income
poverty, nutrition, universal primary education,
gender parity in education, child mortality, maternal