UN's Millennium development goals

Question 1

What is the aim of the Millennium Goals.

Answer 1

The Millennium Goals set time bound targets, by which progress in reducing income poverty, hunger, disease, lack of adequate shelter and exclusion - while promoting gender equality, health, education and environmental sustainability which can be measured

Question 2

What are the eight Millennium goals?

Answer 2

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
2. Achieve universal primary education.
3. Promote gender equality and empower women.
4. Reduce child mortality.
5. Improve maternal health.
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.
7. Ensure environmental sustainability.
8. Develop a global partnership for development.

Question 3

What is the purpose of Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger?

Answer 3

The purpose of Goal 1 is to reduce the proportion of people living on less than US$1.25 per day. To achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people and to reduce the proportion of people suffering from hunger

Question 4

Why is Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger important?

Answer 4

1. Lack of income levels leads to a lack of resources and infrastructure.
2. Poverty and hunger reduce immune function and increase mortality rates from preventable diseases particularly infectious diseases.
3. Lack of income reduces the capacity for a country to develop its economy which reduces levels of human development experienced.

Question 5

What is the purpose of Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education?

Answer 5

The purpose of Goal 2 is to ensure that all children, boys and girls alike, can will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling.

Question 6

Why is Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education important?

Answer 6

1. Education promotes greater employment prospects, which in turn decreases levels of poverty experienced and allows children to be educated which helps to break the poverty cycle.
2. Health promoting behaviours are also enhanced with literacy.

Question 7

What is the purpose of Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women?

Answer 7

The purpose of Goal 3 is to eliminate gender differences at all levels of education (primary, secondary and tertiary)

Question 8

Why is Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women important?

Answer 8

1. Women often don’t have access to meaningful employment.
2. Women pass health related knowledge etc to children.
3. Increases the level of human development experienced by women and allows them to care for their families better.
4. Increased education leads to increased SES. This contributes to better health and human development for women.

Question 9

What is the purpose of Goal 4: Reduce child mortality?

Answer 9

The purpose of Goal 4 is to reduce under 5 mortality rate.

Question 10

Why is Goal 4: Reduce child mortality important?

Answer 10

1. Children often die from easily preventable diseases.

2. Children are the future of the country’s society and economy.

Question 11

What is the purpose of Goal 5: Improve maternal health?

Answer 11

The purpose of Goal 5 is the reduce the maternal health ratio and to achieve universal access to reproductive services.

Question 12

Why is Goal 5: Improve maternal health important?

Answer 12

1. Maternal mortality rates are high in developing countries.
2. If mothers are in good health, they can take better care of their families.
3. Providing access to reproductive health services means that women are better able to take care of themselves and their children through seeking advice and treatment.

Question 13

What is the purpose of Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases?

Answer 13

The purpose of Goal 6 is to halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS. Achieve universal treatment for HIV/AIDS for those who need it and to halt and begin the spread of malaria and other major diseases.

Question 14

Why is Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases important?

Answer 14

1. Simple cost effective methods can reduce the risk of contracting malaria and HIV.
2. HIV reduces the impact of individuals to work to provide for their family.
3. Thousands of children are orphaned which reduces their chance of education and a productive life.

Question 15

What is the purpose of Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability.

Answer 15

The purpose of Goal 7 is to incorporate principles of sustainable development into country policies and reverse the loss of environmental resources. Reduce biodiversity loss, Increase access to safe water and sanitation and to improve the lives of slum dwellers.

Question 16

Why is Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability important?

Answer 16

1. Future generations can then provide for themselves and their children.
2. Biodiversity is essential for future food supplies and income generation.
3. Lack of water is responsible for many deaths each year.
4. Hundreds of millions of people live in urban slums where the physical environment results in many deaths.

Question 17

What is the purpose of Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development?

Answer 17

The purpose of Goal 8 is to:

1. address the special needs of the least developed countries.
2. address the special needs of land locked countries and small island developing countries.
3. create fair trading policies for developing countries.
4. deal with the debt problems of developing countries.
5. provide affordable medication through partnerships with pharmaceutical companies.
6. enhance the availability to ICT and other technologies by working with the private sector.

Question 18

Why is Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development important?

Answer 18

1. There is a lot of potential for developing countries to improve their economies. This can improve health and human development outcomes.
2. Developed countries have a large part to play in enhancing health and human development in developing countries by increasing aid, and wiping debt.