About: Millenium Development Goals

COP21 goals: An alternative path to success
Managing carbon emissions by imposing a refundable excise duty on the extraction of fossil fuels rather than on their emissions is an alternative and much more advantageous solution to reaching the objectives of the COP21 Agreement, argue Jacques de Gerlache and Romain Ferrari.

Morocco urges Brussels to end farm pact deadlock
Morocco’s Minister of Agriculture, Aziz Akhannouch, called on the EU to unblock a stalled farm trade agreement in order to help the country implement its sole national development strategy. EURACTIV.com reports from Morocco.
Spain not on track to reach development goals
Spain’s ability to achieve the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals has been assessed by a recent report. EURACTIV’s partner El País – Planeta Futuro reports.
Illiteracy will cost global economy $1.2tn in 2015
Illiteracy is “a worldwide crisis” that will cost the global economy $1.2tn (£760bn) this year, the World Literacy Foundation (WLF) has warned. More than 796 million people are either completely illiterate, meaning they can’t read or write, or functionally illiterate, meaning they can’t perform basic tasks such as reading a medicine label, the WLF said in a report released on Monday (pdf).
What world leaders can do in September to improve the lives of the poorest
When world leaders meet in September to adopt a set of Sustainable Development Goals, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will make a strong case that health goals should be a top priority, writes Bill Gates.
Spain puts water and sanitation at the heart of SDGs debate
SPECIAL REPORT / Despite heavy cuts in its development budget due to the financial crisis, Spain remains committed to helping the international community achieve the Millenium Development Goals and prepare the ground for the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular in the area of water and sanitation. EURACTIV Spain reports.
Donor darlings are political, not scientific
The €55 billion a year of European money going to development is politically motivated rather than scientifically. Formal colonies, trade partners and media-favorites become ‘donor darlings’. Some poor countries are bearing the brunt, writes Kasper C. Goethals.
The challenge for 2015: Ensuring global development within planetary guard rails
2015 is a key year for global cooperation, with the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, the replacement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and the global climate conference in Paris at the end of the year, write Clara Brandi and Dirk Messner from the German Development Institute.
A thousand aid groups launch ‘action/2015’
More than a thousand global development aid and philantropic organisations around the world launched a campaign today (15 January) named action/2015, which is likely to be one of the largest ever launched.
Open letter to world leaders: 2015 will see major decisions for the millennium
Politicians, activists and celebrities ranging from Queen Rania of Jordan and Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Prime Minister of Norway, to Bill and Melinda Gates, Richard Branson, Bono, Sting, Matt Damon and many others, turn to world politicians with an open letter, reminding them that the actions they will take in 2015 will decide the way the world turns for decades to come.
Malala to world leaders: ‘Do better’ in 2015
2015 must be the year the world wakes up and delivers a safer, more just future for children and young people, writes Malala Yousafzai in a letter to world leaders.
Record-breaking survey: World should prioritise education and health
So far, more than 5 million people from all over the world have replied to a survey, called MyWorld2015, conducted both online and on paper, the preliminary results of which show that good education and better healthcare are considered to be the two main priorities to boost development. VideoPromoted content

Mimica: We must stop poverty before its starts
Commissioner-designate for Development Neven Mimica sailed through his hearing without difficulty, as MEPs from the development committee quizzed him on Monday.
MEPs fail to quiz Mimica
Unlike Malta’s Karmenu Vella, who was targeted by MEPs hoping to reveal his weaknesses through his hearing, the screening of Croatia’s Neven Mimica, Commissioner-designate for Development held yesterday (29 September) appeared to be a formality.
Women’s development goals
As the 2015 deadline for the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) approaches, world leaders will face a choice: move the goal posts back another decade or two, or hold accountable those who have failed to deliver on their commitments. For women, the choice is clear. VideoPromoted content

The EU and Development Aid
The European Parliament’s new Development Committee, chaired by Linda McAvan, has been formed at an important juncture for development policy. In the run-up to May’s elections the merit and value of Overseas Development Assistance was loudly questioned by UKIP and other Eurosceptic parties.![CREDIT[khym54/Flickr]](https://www.euractiv.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/07/1856133996-9ffbfd40fe-o.jpeg)
Millennium Goals leave the most deprived behind
A report by the NGO ATD Fourth World highlights the failures of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the struggle against poverty, claiming some performance measures exclude the most disadvantaged.![Mahmoud Mohieldin [Project Syndicate]](https://www.euractiv.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/09/mahmoud-mohieldi-credit-project-syndicate.jpeg)
Measuring inclusive growth
In 2015, the Milennium Development Goals' deadline strikes. But considerable unfinished business and significant performance discrepancies remain, writes Mahmoud Mohieldin. VideoPromoted content

Raising Awareness on EU Development Policy
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is committed to improving people's lives across the globe, but mostly in regions where it's most needed to eradicate poverty. In Europe specifically the foundation is seeking partnerships with governments, civil society, and media. What we're trying to achieve here is really build long lasting relationships in order to improve the quality and quantity of aid spending. But also make sure that development stays high on the agenda.
UN special advisor calls for more innovative foreign aid
Philippe Douste-Blazy told EURACTIV France that in the current economic context, financing for foreign aid must be more innovative. This can be achieved with “painless” taxes, tapping into Africa’s oil exports and greater cooperation,he said in an interview.
Brussels seeks to raise €2.6 billion for basic education in developing world
A two-day fundraising conference beginning in Brussels tomorrow (25 June) aims at raising a minimum of €2.6 billion over the next three years to boost primary education in developing countries, the European Commission announced today (24 June).
G7 leaders vow to tackle unemployment, energy risks
Supporting growth and jobs remains the top priority for the world’s leading industrialised nations, their leaders said following a two-day summit in Brussels that ended today (5 June). They also stated that the use of energy supplies as a means of political coercion or as a threat to security is unacceptable.![An ecologic building in London, UK. [Giancarlo Liguori/Shutterstock].](https://www.euractiv.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/06/eco_building_london._shutterstock.jpeg)
EU tables proposals to tackle ‘intertwined’ challenges in Europe, developing world
The European Commission tabled proposals on Monday (2 June) for tackling the “intertwined challenges of eliminating poverty” and “ensuring progress is sustainable”, in the EU's contribution to the post-2015 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).