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The UK and the Millennium Development Goals

In 2000, at the Millennium Summit, 189 Member States of the United Nations declared that they would spare no effort to achieve a set of eight goals aimed at raising the level of development, health and prosperity of the globe by the year 2015.  

These goals are:
1. Eradication of extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achievement of universal primary education
3. Promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women
4. Reduction of child mortality globally
5. Improvement in maternal health globally
6. Accelerating the combat of HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases
7. Ensuring environmental sustainability
8.  Development of a global partnership for development

The UK's international development policy is closely aligned with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).  The UK is the world’s second largest bilateral donor government, currently spending £6.85 billion per year in overseas development assistance, and billions more for initiatives on education, poverty reduction, HIV/AIDS, Malaria and the environment.  The UK is on the forefront in the push to get the MDGs back on track and realise success by 2015.

To find out more about the Millennium Development Goals, please visit the UN website.  To find out more about the UK’s progress in achieving the MDGs, please visit the Department of International Development's website. 

MDG Call to Action

Progress has been achieved on the MDGs, in many countries and on every continent, when the right policies and right reforms have been combined with sufficient resources. But results are patchy and seven years later, and half way to 2015, we are not on track to meet our historic commitments. Recognising the critical need for revitalization, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown declared a “development emergency” and on 31 July 2007, with the support of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Prime Minister Brown launched the MDG Call to Action.  This declaration, signed by 13 major countries and 21 major global businesses, seeks to galvanize the support of the international community and accelerate progress towards the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals. 

The aims of the initiative are to:
• build a common vision about what needs to be done – scaling up successes and identifying and addressing gaps in current work;
• harness the efforts of relevant international organisations, governments, private sector, civil society, NGOs, and faith groups;
• Identify milestones to both measure international progress towards the MDGs and inspire greater action to achieve them.
• Create the political energy, public interest and specific announcements to make 2008 a turning point in the fight against global poverty.

Now, more than 40 countries have answered the Call to Action, representing in excess of 80% of the global economy and two-thirds of the global population.

To find out more about the MDG Call to Action, please see the Department for International Development's page on the Call to Action.

Business Call to Action

On 6 May, 2008 the UK government, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, held an event in London to announce the Business Call to Action (BCtA). In attendence were Prime Minister Gordon Brown, President John Kufuor of Ghana, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, President of the General Assembly Dr. Srgjan Kerim, 29 Ambassadors of Call to Action (CtA) signatory countries, and dozens of top CEOs, leaders from Non-governmental organizations and government Ministers. The event’s goal was to encourage the support and expertise of global business to develop new and innovative ways to spread growth, prosperity and opportunity in developing countries across the world.  By showcasing existing success stories, the BCtA aimed to inspire companies to commit to concrete transformative initiatives that use their core business to support the rapid attainment of the MDGs.  Rather than encouraging more philanthropy or corporate social responsibility, the BctA represents a fresh approach and seeks to support those in the private sector engaged in producing business ideas that are both commercially viable and help to achieve the MDGs.

To find out more about the Business Call to Action, please see the Department for International Development's page on the Business Call to Action.  

25 September High-Level Event on the MDGs

In January 2008, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and President of the General Assembly Dr. Srgjan Kerim announced their intention to host a High-Level Event on the MDGs at UN Headquarters in New York on 25 September. This exciting day-long event will bring together heads of state/government from around the world with leaders of civil society to engage in robust discussions on the challenges we face and opportunities that exist in 2008, with the goal of establishing concrete outcomes and ensuring tangible progress on the eight Millennium Development Goals.