From Promise to Performance: How Rich Countries Can Help Poor Countries Help Themselves

Publication Date: April 2003

Publisher: Center for Global Development; Center for Global Development

Author(s): Nancy Birdsall; Michael Clemens; Nancy Birdsall; Michael Clemens

Research Area: Economics

Type:

Abstract:

At the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000 the nations of the world committed to join forces to meet a set of measurable targets for reducing world poverty, disease, illiteracy and other indicators of human misery—all by the year 2015. These targets, later named the Millennium Development Goals, include seven measures of human development in poor countries. At the same summit, world leaders took on several qualitative targets applicable to rich countries, later collected in an eighth Goal. The key elements of the eighth Goal, pledge financial support and policy changes in trade, debt relief, and other areas to assist poor countries'domestic efforts to meet the first seven Goals. Combined, the eight Goals constitute a global compact between poor and rich to work today toward their mutual interests to secure a prosperous future.