• United Nations

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09 August 2011More than 10 years have passed since world leaders established goals and targets to free humanity from extreme poverty, hunger, illiteracy and disease. The Millennium Declaration and the MDG framework for accountability derived from it have inspired development efforts and helped set global and national priorities and focus subsequent actions. While more work lies ahead, the world has cause to celebrate, in part due to the continued economic growth of some developing countries and targeted interventions in critical areas. Increased funding from many sources has translated into the expansion of programmes to deliver services and resources to those most in need. Here are some of the highlights:

• Poverty continues to decline in many countries and regions
• Some of the poorest countries have made the greatest strides in education
• Targeted interventions have succeeded in reducing child mortality
• Increased funding and control efforts have cut deaths from malaria
• Investments in preventing and treating HIV are yielding results
• Effective strategies against tuberculosis are saving millions of lives
• Every region has made progress in improving access to clean drinking water

Alhough many countries have demonstrated that progress is possible, efforts need to be intensified. They must also target the hardest to reach: the poorest of the poor and those disadvantaged because of their sex, age, ethnicity or disability. Disparities in progress between urban and rural areas remain daunting.

• The poorest children have made the slowest progress in terms of improved nutrition
• Opportunities for full and productive employment remain particularly slim for women
• Being poor, female or living in a conflict zone increases the probability that a child will be out of school
• Advances in sanitation often bypass the poor and those living in rural areas
• Improving the lives of a growing number of urban poor remains a monumental challenge
• Progress has been uneven in improving access to safe drinking water