Habitat for Humanity and the Millennium Development Goals

At the 2000 UN Millennium Summit, world leaders from rich and poor countries alike committed themselves - at the highest political level - to a set of eight time-bound targets that, when achieved, will end extreme poverty worldwide by 2015.
 
"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.

 

The eight MDGs are:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The MDGs break down into 21 quantifiable targets that are measured by 60 indicators. To learn more about the MDGs, visit the United Nations Development Programme website at www.undp.org/mdg/
 

Why Habitat supports the MDGs

"Habitat for Humanity looks upon the MDGs as an opportunity to put the urgency of ending poverty on the hearts and minds of people everywhere. So while we continue to build houses with people in need … throughout the world – we also pledge to spread the message worldwide that the Millennium Development Goals are essential to creating a safe home for all people in need.” Jonathan Reckford, CEO, Habitat for Humanity International
 
Habitat's work is most directly related to Goal 7, Target 7d: "Achieve significant improvement in lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers, by 2020."
 
Habitat's programmes (shelter provision, community development, housing finance, disaster response, enterprise development, financial literacy, etc) also impact all eight of the Millennium Development Goals.
 
The MDGs provide the framework for delivery of more effective and better services to the most marginalised groups - Habitat's key partners.