Human Development Report 2003: Millennium Development Goals: A compact Among Nations to end Human Poverty

In an unprecedented display of international commitment to improve the lives of poor people everywhere, the 189 members of the United Nations issued the Millennium Declaration at the Millennium Summit in 2000. The world's leaders directed the United Nations to produce a road map for achieving the Declaration's goals by 2015 leading to the eight Millennium Development goals and their 18 targets. Intended to keep the world on course and on time, the Goals and their targets are feasible benchmarks covering the essential conditions for human development. At the International Conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey in 2002, rich and poor countries struck a "global deal" to provide financing for development in return for sound governance and economic practice.Examining the successes and failures of development over the last decade, Human Development Report 2003 presents a bold action plan for reaching the Goals: the Millennium Development Compact. It makes the case fort action in six policy areas for the countries where progress must be accelerated to reach the Goals. It argues for a big step up in resources to ensure that these countries meet the Goals, an increase within the scope of what donor countries have pledged on several occasions - but not lived up to. Human Development Report 2003 provides the first full set of data indicating the status of each goal in every country. It highlights best practices for reaching the Goals, calling for a comprehensive, multisectoral approach to sustain progress towards each of them. . It asserts that the political will to mobilize action for the Goals can be marshalled when the Goals become issues in local and national politics - election manifestos for mayors and presidential candidates. . It presents evidence that rich-country policy changes on debt relief, access to markets and transfers of technology are as important as foreign aid.It analyzes the factors and policies that lead to economic growth or stagnation, asserting that investments in education and health are not the rewards of growing economies - they are essential preconditions for sustainable growth.Human Development Report 2003 concludes that developing countries must take the political and economic lead in reaching the Goals and upholding commitments to democratic governance. But they are not alone in this effort. Poverty is the world's problem.