The Millennium Development Goals

1. Reigate School The Millennium Development Goals Looking back on thirteen years of international development

2. Progress so far A review of the Millennium Goals progress since 2000

3. GOAL 1ERADICATE EXTREME POVERTY AND HUNGER “Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime.” (Aristotle, Greek philosopher) There has been some localized progress in this area however, this still needs to be a focus of the Post 2015 agenda .

4. GOAL 2ACHIEVE UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” (M. K. Gandhi, Indian activist) There has been some clear progress in this area, but there is still much to be done to achieve this goal.

5. GOAL 3PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY AND EMPOWER WOMEN “The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it.” (Roseanne Barr, American actress) The evidence shows that whilst improvements in the empowerment of women have occurred sporadically across poorer areas such as Africa, there is still much progress to be made to improve equality in both richer and poorer countries.

6. GOAL 4REDUCE CHILD MORTALITY RATES “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” (Native American proverb) There has been lots of progress in this area, child mortality rates are still too high and the targeted reduction still needs to be achieve.

7. GOAL 5IMPROVE MATERNAL HEALTH “All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” (Abraham Lincoln, American president) There have been some improvements in maternal care but work still needs to be done to achieve the 75% targeted reduction in post-natal deaths.

8. GOAL 6COMBAT HIV/AIDS, MALARIA AND OTHER DISEASES “Love dies of illness and wounds; it dies of weariness, of witherings, of tarnishings.” (Anaïs Nin, American author) Out of the three main diseases targeted by the MDG, malaria and tuberculosis are on track to be eradicated within the foreseeable future; Unfortunately the number of people with HIV/AIDS rises every year.

9. GOAL 7ENSURE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY “Here is your country; cherish these natural wonders.” (Theodore Roosevelt, American president) The path to environmental sustainability in LDCs is a long one, progress has been made but there is still a long way to go to eradicate corruption and eradicate environmental degradation.

10. GOAL 8DEVELOP A GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR DEVELOPMENT “The only way to have a friend is to be one.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist) There has been very significant progress in the technological and medical aspects of MDG 8, but, until debt is wholly or partially written off, LEDCs cannot develop to their full potential.

11. Post 2015 Development Agenda The next steps

12. Is this the right approach? We believe that the Millennium Development Goals are the building blocks to improve the standard of living for the worlds poorest countries. We feel that there are links between all of these goals that can be used to interlink improvements: global partnership, education and legislation. We therefore feel that the following targets should be taken through to the post 2015 Development Agenda: Plus two new targets:

13. Universal education (Goal 1): The next step Laws can be passed making it a legal requirement for all children to go to school until the age of 11. Parents could be fined or face prison if their children do not attend regularly. These places should be free to the poorest of society. Billboards and adverts to help raise awareness of education for men and women. LDCs could improve the pay and working conditions of teachers stop them leaving to go to MDCs where pay is better. MDCs could provide investment into infrastructure including materials and expertise for schools as part of their aid budget commitments. In countries where there is conscription such as Greece they could add the option to help teach or build schools for LDCs instead. In countries where this isn't the case universities could encourage students to complete this as a gap year between college and university.

14. Achieving equality (Goal 2): The next steps Through changing culture we can promote the equality of women.

15. Healthcare (Goal 3): The next steps MDCs help invest in and build facilities e.g. hospitals. This could be a focus of the money governments allocate per year for aid. Governments could run a scheme whereby health care professionals could be funded to take a sabbatical to train people in LDCs Extending free contraception through NGOs could be used in unison with education to promote sexual health. This education should start a primary school level. Countries with forced conscriptions could offer a programme where people could opt to work in healthcare in LDCs instead of joining the army. Encourage more LDCs to follow Kerala’s model of reform including only allowing pensions for parents of one or two children and encourage people to consider benefits of smaller families.

16. Reducing mortality (Goal 4): The next steps

17. Sustainable environment (Goal 5): The next steps Following from the Kyoto Protocol further targets could be set by world leaders to encourage LDCs and MDCs reduce their carbon footprints. TNCs could be given tax breaks in return for being more environmentally aware such as reducing carbon emission from factories. The extension of conservation swaps- where MDCs buy rainforests and other areas for conservation from LDCs in return for debt abolition. This would help them be sustainable and pay off debts. Adults and children could be taught about environmental sustainability and global warming to help raise awareness. Government's within trading blocs could agree to introduce strict emissions laws for factories to encourage TNCs to be more environmentally sustainable.

18. And our thoughts… Trade A safer world MDCs working in partnership with LDCs to improve water quality and supply particularly in shanty/ favela areas and remote rural villages to reduce mortality rates. • MDCs work with the World Trade Organisation to remove trading blocs and encourage fair trade so that LDCs get a better price for their crops. Introduce legislature in MDCs that companies have to use a percentage of fair trade goods to promote their use. Work in global partnership to encourage small scale loans between businesses in MDCs and LDCs to allow manufacturing to develop within the country rather than relying on TNCs. Increase UN powers to impose stricter sanctions on governments involved in civil war, to encourage talks between both sides. MDCs working with LDCs to improve their preparations for natural disasters such as Tsunami warning systems to reduce lose of life and standard of living as the result of natural hazards.