Focus on Steps to Speed Progress Toward MDGs

The IMF’s Finance & Development magazine focuses on steps to reinvigorate progress toward the goals five years before the deadline.

Ahead of the United Nations summit in New York on September 20–21, Finance & Development focuses on what needs to be done to reinvigorate progress toward the goals.

Despite setbacks from the global economic crisis, progress is being made toward some of the eight international development targets that all 192 United Nations member states and many international organizations have agreed to achieve by 2015. The goals include cutting extreme poverty, reducing child mortality rates, fighting diseases such as HIV/AIDS, and developing a global partnership for development around the world.

September 2010 issue of Finance & Development: focus on what needs to be done to reinvigorate progress toward the Millennium Development Goals

The September issue of Finance & Development notes that although extreme poverty is falling sharply, universal primary education is within reach, and higher school enrollment is shrinking the gender gap in education, a lot more needs to be done to regain momentum. In developing countries, domestic policies can help build stronger local economies. And the rest of the world can help by reviving sustained global growth, increasing foreign direct investment and private sector–led growth, facilitating access to export markets, and improving the predictability and amount of aid flows.

Key articles on reinvigorating the Millennium Development Goals include

Regaining Momentum

Delfin S. Go, Richard Harmsen, and Hans Timmer

Progress on the Millennium Development Goals has been slowed by the crisis. The rest of the world has to help. A joint overview by the World Bank and the IMF.

Making a Breakthrough

Pedro Conceição and Selim Jahan

To accelerate progress toward the MDGs, growth must happen in sectors that directly benefit the poor, such as agriculture.

Saving Mothers’ Lives

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