Jacob Siegel
Staff Reporter
The world has 1 billion people in living in extreme poverty, including in the United States. Issues such as poverty, illness, and premature death, are “problem[s] that really affect everyone globally,” said senior Daniel Hughes. However, in 2000 the United Nations decided to take action to eliminate these problems. In 2000 the UN created the UN millennium goals. The millennium goals program are designed to eradicate poverty and help rid the world of various diseases.
According to United Nations Development Program website there are eight numbered millennium development goals. The first goal is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, the second to achieve universal primary education, the third to promote gender equality and empower women, the fourth to reduce child mortality, the fifth to improve maternal health, the sixth to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, the seventh to ensure environmental stability, and the eighth to develop a global partnership for development.
Some find these goals to be impractical. “It’s a little bit unrealistic,” said freshman Dante Micci-Smith. However, other students believe they are good objectives to set. “That’s a large role to take on, it’s a big problem. It’s good that they’re trying to do something to end poverty,” said freshman Bridget McLaughlin.
Professor of political science Dr. Charles Neal believes some of the goals are more capable of being accomplished than others. He said he believed the first goal of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger is the most effective. He also was supportive of the eight goal, establishing a global partnership for development. He said he believed that goal has already been accomplished with the establishment of groups such as the World Bank.
However, Neal is not as hopeful for all of the goals. He believes the seventh goal, to ensure environmental stability to be unrealistic. He was skeptical about whether or not people would be willing to compromise their beliefs and adhere to UN policy.
According to the Khaleej Times website and the Los Angeles Times website the regions of Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, the Palestinian, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa don’t seem likely to meet the goals.
While these regions have struggled with the goals, data from the U.S. Aid shows that worldwide the goals have made progress. Since 1990 the world has seen 280 million fewer people living in extreme poverty, 40 million more children in school, four million more children survive each year, and four million people now receive HIV/AIDS treatment in developing countries, according to the U.S. Aid website.
Despite these successes the United Nations Goals still face formidable challenges ahead. These challenges include 1billion people in extreme poverty, 72 million children not in school
nine million children die each year, 360,000 women die from treatable complications of pregnancy and birth, Over 33 million people infected with HIV/AIDS, two million die each year, and half of the developing world lacks sanitation
Parts of the world have decided to take action towards meeting the UN Millennium Goals. The European Union has agreed to donate 1 billion Euros to developing countries according to the EuroAlert website.
The United States is contributing too. President Obama has announced plans to try to help rid developing countries off of their dependency from foreign aid through private investing markets according to National Public Radio’s website.
The United Nations is continuing to take steps to try to meet the UN millennium goals. The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon says that while they’re unlikely to be able to meet the UN millennium goals by 2015 as originally planned, they still can make more progress. Ki-Moon said he doesn’t believe that the goals should be put aside and that nations should stop supporting it. Neal also believes the goals won’t be met in time, however he said he thinks they can be accomplished.
