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We will spare no effort to free our fellow men, women and children from the abject and dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty, to which more than a billion of them are currently subjected. We are committed to making the right to development a reality for everyone and to freeing the entire human race from want.
(UN Millennium Declaration, UN A/Res/55/2, 2000.)
In its 2000 Millennium Declaration, the United Nations set eight goals for development, called the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These goals set an ambitious agenda for improving the human condition by 2015.
In support of these goals, the Millennium Project was launched to recommend the best strategies for achieving the MDGs. It has selected a series of indicators to measure progress towards each goal's achievement.
WWAP is contributing to the Task Force on Water and Sanitation, with the involvement of the WWAP coordinator as a task force member.
Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
By 2015, reduce by half the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day
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| Children in a Madras slum |
More than one billion people still subsist on less than $1 a day, with many regions of the world still falling short of achieving the target.
According to the World Water Development Report (WWDR), problems of poverty are inextricably linked with those of water - it availability, its proximity, its quantity and its quality. Improving the access of poor people to water has the potential to make a major contribution towards poverty eradication.
The main indicators for progress towards this goal are:
- Proportion of population living on less than $1 per day;
- Poverty gap ratio, which is the mean distance below the $1 a day poverty line;
- Share of the poorest quintile in national consumption.
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By 2015, reduce by half the proportion of people who suffer from hunger
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| Closeup of a child eating rice |
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), some 840 million people still suffer from undernourishment. This challenge is further amplified by the rapidly growing world population.
According to the WWDR, large number of undernourished people lives in environmentally degraded rural areas and in urban slums. War and natural disasters, such as floods and droughts, are the major causes of undernourishment.
The main indicators for progress towards this goal are:
- Prevalence of underweight children under five years of age;
- Proportion of population below the minimum level of dietary energy consumption.
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Main related WWAP challenges:
- Meeting Basic Needs
- Valuing Water
- Securing Food Supply
Related publications:
- The Asian Development Bank has issued a draft report (in PDF format) on the 3rd World Water Forum, held in March 2003, on the issue of water and poverty.
- UNDP's Human Development Report 2003 (in PDF format) shows progress towards this goal in all countries.
Related events:
- The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is observed every year on the 17th of October.
- World Food Day is observed every year on the 16th of October.
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Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education
By 2015, ensure that all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling
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| Primary school class in Baghdad, Iraq | Approximately 113 million children of school age, some 60% of which are girls, do not attend school. The outlook is, however, hopeful.
According to the WWDR, water factors, such as the need to collect domestic water, play a large part in school attendance.
The main indicators for progress towards this goal are:
- Net enrolment ratio in primary education;
- Proportion of pupils starting grade 1 and reaching grade 5;
- Literacy rate of 15-24 year-olds.
| Main related WWAP challenges:
- Meeting Basic Needs
- Ensuring the Knowledge Base
Related publications:
- The UNESCO Education for All programme issued its 2003 Global Monitoring Report, which assesses progress towards the education goals set by the international community.
- UNDP's Human Development Report 2003 (in PDF format), shows progress towards this goal in all countries.
Related events:
- International Literacy Day is celebrated every year on the 8th of October.
- 2003-2012 has been declared United Nations Literacy Decade.
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Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005, and at all levels by 2015
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| A women's literacy class in Sudan |
Two thirds of the world's illiterate are female, and the rate of employment of women is only two thirds that of men. It has been shown, however, that water-related enterprises, such as agricultural development projects, have a far greater success rate when women are involved than when they are excluded.
According to the WWDR, many girls are prevented from attending school because they are in charge of collecting domestic water and of the lack of separate toilet facilities.
The main indicators for progress towards this goal are:
- Ratio of girls to boys in primary, secondary and tertiary education;
- Ratio of literate females to males aged 15 to 24;
- Share of women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector;
- Proportion of seats held by women in national parliament.
| Main related WWAP challenges:
- Meeting Basic Needs
- Ensuring the Knowledge Base
Related publications:
- UNDP's Human Development Report 2003 (in PDF format), shows progress towards this goal in all countries.
Related events:
- International Women's Day is celebrated every year on the 8th of March. |
Goal 4: Reduce child mortality
By 2015, reduce by two thirds the mortality rate among children under five
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A woman bathes her daughter in
a Haitian street | Some 11 million children under the age of five die each year, mainly from preventable diseases. Children are the most hit by water-related diseases.
According to the WWDR, of all the people who died of diarrhoeal infections in 2001, 70% (or 1.4 million) were children.
The main indicators for progress towards this goal are:
- Under-five mortality rate;
- Infant mortality rate;
- Proportion of 1-year-old children immunized against measles.
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Main related WWAP challenges:
- Meeting Basic Needs
Related publications:
- UNICEF issues an annual report to assess the status of children around the world. Access The State of the World's Children Report 2003
- UNDP's Human Development Report 2003 shows progress towards this goal in all countries. (in PDF format)
Related events:
- World Health Day is celebrated every year on April 7th. The theme for 2003 was: Shape the Future of Life: Healthy Environments for Children.
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Goal 5: Improve maternal health
By 2015, reduce by three quarters the maternal mortality rate
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Young mother breastfeeding
her child |
In developing countries, there is one chance in 48 for mothers to die during childbirth, although many countries have now implemented safe motherhood programmes. Access to safe water and sanitation is essential in reducing the maternal mortality rate.
The main indicators for progress towards this goal are:
- Maternal mortality ratio;
- Proportion of births attended by skilled medical personnel. |
Main related WWAP challenges:
-Meeting Basic Needs
Related publications:
- UNDP's Human Development Report 2003 (in PDF format) shows progress towards this goal in all countries.
- Maternal mortality in 2000 (in PDF format): Estimates Developed by WHO, UNICEF and UNFPA.
Related events:
-World Health Day is celebrated every year on April 7th. The theme for 2003 was: Shape the Future of Life: Healthy Environments for Children. |
Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
By 2015, halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS
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Children washing their hands in a bucket
of water |
Forty million people are now infected with HIV/AIDS, but some countries, such as Brazil, have shown that the tide can be stemmed. People weakened by HIV/AIDS are likely to suffer the most from the lack of safe water supply and sanitation, especially since diarrhoea and skin diseases are two of the more common infections.
The main indicators for progress towards this goal are:
- HIV prevalence among pregnant women aged 15 to 24;
- Ratio of condom use to other contraceptive methods;
- Number of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS.
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By 2015, halt and begin to reverse the incidence of malaria and other diseases
Malaria is a water-related vector disease that kills more than one million people each year, 90% in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the WWDR. The disease causes at least 300 million severe cases of illness annually, a number all the more striking since simple, effective solutions are available.
The main indicators for progress towards this goal are:
- Prevalence and death rates associated with malaria;
- Proportion of population in malaria-risk areas using effective malaria prevention and treatment measures;
- Prevalence and death rates associated with tuberculosis;
- Proportion of tuberculosis cases detected and cured under the DOTS programme (Directly Observed Treatment Short Course).
Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
By 2015, integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes; reverse loss of environmental resources
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| Mangrove in Papua New Guinea |
Environmental resources are at ever greater risk: some 50% of all the world's wetlands have been lost since 1900, for example. Environmentally sound policies are needed to ensure the sustainability of our ecosystems.
The main indicators for progress towards this goal are:
- Proportion of land area covered by forest;
- Ratio of area protected in order to maintain biological diversity to surface area;
- Energy use (metric ton oil equivalent) per $1 GDP;
- Carbon dioxide emissions per capita and consumption of ozone-depleting CFCs;
- Proportion of population using solid fuels.
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By 2015, reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water
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| Water reserve in the enclosure of a house |
One billion people lack access to safe drinking water, 2.4 billion to adequate sanitation. To achieve this target, an additional 1.5 billion people will require access to some form of improved water supply by 2015, that is an additional 100 million people each year (or 274,000/day) until 2015.
The main indicators for progress towards this goal are:
- Proportion of population (urban and rural) with sustainable access to an improved water source.
Achieve significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers, by 2020
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| Man with his children in Phnom Penh slum |
According to a recent publication by UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), almost 1 billion people now live in slums, mostly in the developing world where slum-dwellers account for 40% of the urban population. This number could climb to 2 billion by 2020. Slums present a particular challenge, as they are rarely supplied with clean, safe water or adequate sanitation.
The main indicators for progress towards this goal are:
- Proportion of urban population with access to improved sanitation;
- Proportion of households with access to secure tenure (owned or rented).
| Main related WWAP challenges:
- Protecting Ecosystems
- Meeting Basic Needs
- Water and Cities
Related publications:
- The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment released its first report on the intrinsic links between ecosystems and human well-being. Access a summary of Ecosystems and Human Well-Being: A Framework for Assessment.
- UNDP's Human Development Report 2003 shows progress towards this goal in all countries (in PDF format).
- The yearly report issued by the World Health Organization assesses the state of health around the world. Access the full World Health Report 2002.
Related events:
- World Environment Day is celebrated every year on June 5th.
- World Water Day is celebrated every year on March 22nd.
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Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development
Develop further an open trading and financial system that is rule-based, predictable and non-discriminatory
Includes a commitment to good governance, development and poverty reduction - nationally and internationally.
Address the least developed countries' special needs
This includes tariff- and quota-free access for their exports; enhanced debt relief for heavily indebted poor countries; cancellation of official bilateral debt; and more generous official development assistance for countries committed to poverty reduction.
According to the WWDR, achieving the MDG on drinking water supply coverage will represent a major expenditure in all countries, requiring between US$10 billion and US$30 billion a year on top of the amount already being spent.
The main indicators for progress towards this goal are:
- Official Development Assistance received in landlocked countries as a proportion of the gross national incomes;
- Official Development Assistance received in small island developing states as a proportion of their gross national incomes.
Deal comprehensively with developing countries' debt problems through national and international measures to make debt sustainable in the long term
Many developing countries now spend more on debt service than on social services, severely crippling their development capacity.
According to the WWDR, during the last decade, many governments preoccupied by debt and deficit reduction have significantly reduced their expenditures on environment-related infrastructure and services.
The main indicators for progress towards this goal are:
- Proportion of total developed country imports (by value, and excluding arms) from developing countries and least developed countries, admitted free of duties;
- Average tariffs imposed by developed countries on agricultural products and textiles and clothing from developing countries;
- Agricultural support estimate for OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries as percentage of their gross national product;
- Proportion of Official Development Assistance provided to help build trade capacity;
- Total number of countries that have reached their Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) decision points and number that have reached their HIPC completion points (cumulative);
- Debt relief committed under HIPC initiative, in US$;
- Debt service as percentage of exports of goods and services.
In cooperation with the developing countries, develop decent and productive work for youth
The main indicator for progress towards this goal is:
- Unemployment rate of 15 to 24 year olds, for each sex and in total.
In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable essential drugs in developing countries
The main indicator for progress towards this goal is:
- Proportion of population with access to affordable essential drugs on a sustainable basis.
In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies - especially information and communication technologies
The main indicator for progress towards this goal is:
- Telephone lines and cellular subscribers per 100 in habitants;
- Personal computers in use and Internet user per 100 inhabitants.
ICTS can go a long way in enhancing capacity-building and knowledge in the water domain. According to the WWDR, there are at present about 45,000 courses available internationally for online learning, including thirty in hydrology and water resources.
| Main related WWAP challenges:
- Water and Cities
- Meeting Basic Needs
- Valuing Water
- Governing Water
- Securing the Food Supply
- Ensuring the Knowledge Base
Related publications:
- UN-Habitat recently released the first ever report on the world's slums. Click here to view the full table of contents.
- UNDP's Human Development Report 2003 shows progress towards this goal in all countries (in PDF format):- development assistance and market access ; landlocked countries and small island developing states ; debt sustainability ; work opportunities, access to drugs and access to technologies
- UNESCO's Courier issued a special report on the value of water. Click here to access 'What Price Water?'.
- The Asian Development Bank's Key Indicators 2003 Report focuses on education for Global Participation.
Related events:
- World Habitat Day is celebrated every year on the first Monday in October. The theme for 2003 was Water and Sanitation in Cities.
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