Number 2, May 2008
briefing paper
The Millennium Development Goals:
Facing Down Challenges
by Eric Muñoz
Progress Toward MDG Targets is Slowest in Fragile States
www.bread.org
Abstract
MDG 1: Halve
Extreme poverty
MDG 1: Halve hunger
MDG 2: Universal primary education
MDG 3: Gender parity at school
MDG 4: Reduce by two-thirds
child mortality
Middle-income countries
MDG 5: Reduce by three-quarters
maternal mortality
Low-income countries
Fragile states
MDG 7: Halve proportion of people
without access to safe water
MDG 7: Halve proportion of people
without access to sanitation
-40
Bread for the World Institute provides
policy analysis on hunger and strategies
to end it. The Institute educates its advocacy network, opinion leaders, policy
makers and the public about hunger in
the United States and abroad.
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
Progress toward goal by 2006, %
Source: Adapted from Global Monitoring Report, 2008.
Key Points
• Many developing countries are making progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. However, some face significant challenges because of
starting conditions, weak institutions, conflict and environmental degradation.
• Sustainable development is difficult in countries with weak governments that
are inefficient and unaccountable to their citizens.
• Conflict not only halts development—it can cause countries to swiftly regress.
Peace, however fragile, provides an opportunity to make rapid progress.
• The loss of natural resources can slow long-term efforts to reduce poverty. Many
developing countries face heightened environmental risks, some associated with
existing threats such as deforestation, as well as newly emerging threats associated with global climate change.
• Developed countries need to provide flexible assistance that can help countries
address these challenges and meet the MDGs.
Eric Muñoz is a policy analyst for Bread for the World Institute.
The Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) represent an unprecedented partnership among nations
to better the lives of hungry and
poor people across the globe. As the
2015 target date approaches, many
developing countries have already
made extraordinary progress, improving the lives of millions of people. But not all countries or regions
of the world are on track to meet the
MDGs.
Developing nations face many
barriers to achieving the MDGs,
some unique and country-specific,
others broadly shared. Common
problems faced by fragile nations
can be grouped into four areas: poor
starting conditions; weak governance and institutions; conflict and
instability; and environmental degradation.
To meet the MDGs and create a
sustainable path to development,
countries must adopt policies and
programs to overcome these problems. Developed countries have a role
to play in overcoming these barriers.
Aid donors, particularly the United
States, must ensure that development assistance is flexible enough
to help countries address these challenges and meet the MDGs.