What are the MDGs?

"Looking ahead to 2015 and beyond, there is no question that we can achieve the overarching goal: we can put an end to poverty. In almost all instances, experience has demonstrated the validity of earlier agreements on the way forward; in other words, we know what to do. But it requires an unswerving, collective, long-term effort."United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

The MDGs represent a global partnership that has grown from the commitments and targets established at the world summits of the 1990s. Responding to the world's main development challenges and to the calls of civil society, the MDGs promote poverty reduction, education, maternal health, gender equality, and aim at combating child mortality, AIDS and other diseases.

Set for the year 2015, the MDGs are an agreed set of goals that can be achieved if all actors work together and do their part. Poor countries have pledged to govern better, and invest in their people through health care and education. Rich countries have pledged to support them, through aid, debt relief, and fairer trade.

How is UNDP helping?

UNDP is working with a wide range of partners to help create coalitions for change to support the goals at global, regional and national levels, to benchmark progress towards them, and to help countries to build the institutional capacity, policies and programmes needed to achieve the MDGs.

Guided by the UN Core Strategy, UNDP's work on the MDGs focuses on coordinating global and local efforts that:

What about the MDGs in Libya?

UNDP Libya has provided technical support to the General Information Authority in the production of the country’s first Millennium Development Goal Report. The report measures Libya’s achievements to date and identifies priority areas for intervention. UNDP Libya believes that the production of this national MDG Report marks an important milestone in efforts to mainstream the MDGs into national development planning. Periodic reports are a useful advocacy tool and provide a crucial opportunity to refine development interventions.

The findings of the report suggest that with continued attention to priority areas, Libya stands in good stead to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. Click on the individual goals for a more comprehensive goal-by-goal account of Libya’s progress.