The ILO and the Millennium Development Goals
In September 2000, world leaders endorsed the Millennium Declaration, a commitment to work together to build a safer, more prosperous and equitable world. The Declaration was translated into a roadmap setting out eight time-bound and measurable goals to be reached by 2015, known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): They include goals and targets on poverty, hunger, maternal and child mortality, disease, inadequate shelter, gender inequality, environmental degradation and the Global Partnership for Development.
The recognition that employment and decent work are the main route for people to escape poverty led to the inclusion in 2005 of a new MDG Target (1.B): “achieving full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people”. Within the UN system, the ILO takes the lead in reporting on trends concerning the achievement of this MDG Target.
The goal of Decent Work for All and the pledges in the Millennium Declaration go hand in hand. The ILO’s Decent Work Agenda, in a context of fair globalization, is essential to the achievement of these shared aims.
> Overview on "The Millennium Declaration, The MDGs and the ILO Decent Work Agenda" (pdf - 92kB)
Millennium Development Goals: review of progress 2010
A decade after the Millennium Declaration, there have been significant advances together with important set-backs. But progress is threatened by the combination of high food prices and the impact of the international financial and economic crisis. Without additional efforts, several of the MDGs are likely to be missed in many countries.
The current economic slowdown is a serious threat to the fulfillment of all MDGs through its profound impact on jobs and enterprises. But the crisis can be used as an opportunity to further motivate political commitment for sustainable and equitable development recovery and to remove critical obstacles. In this regard, the ILO Global Jobs Pact is a new policy instrument for accelerating a job-rich recovery by stimulating labour demand, establishing a global social protection floor and promoting employment and skills.
The UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals, held in New York on 20-22 September 2010 during the 65th session of the UN General Assembly, concluded with the adoption of a global action plan to achieve the eight anti-poverty goals by their 2015 target date and the announcement of major new commitments for women's and children's health and other initiatives against poverty, hunger and disease.
> Read the outcome document for the MDG Summit
> Read the closing press release
In preparation for the summit, the ILO and other UN agencies have garnered reports on case studies that can be replicated and scaled up, highlighting lessons learned, identifying remaining challenges and making recommendations for progress.
> Download the joint review paper on MDG 1
ILO and Millennium Development Goals: Facts and stories
The eight MDGs break down into 21 quantifiable targets that are measured by 60 indicators.
MDG 1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
> Information Brief (pdf 109kB): English - Français - Español
> Case studies and videos
MDG 1. Target 1B: Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people
> Information Brief (pdf 124kB): English only
> Feature story: Youth employment in crisis: Questions and answers on the situation of youth on the labour market
> Video: Waste Collection in Liberia
> Video: Haiti: From Storm Recovery to Sustainable Development
MDG 2. Achieve universal primary education
> Information Brief (pdf 119kB): English - Français - Español
> Feature story: Eliminating child labour in Bolivia: The role of education
> Video: India: Finding a Voice in the Silk Industry
> Video: Moroccan Circus School Replaces Child Labour with Education
MDG 3. Promote gender equality and empower women
> Information Brief (pdf 119kB): English - Français - Español
> Feature story: Power for the powerless; the woman behind India's ‘Gentle Revolution’
> Video: Social Dialogue: Creating Employment Opportunities for Yemeni Women
> Video: Equal Pay in Portugal’s Restaurants
MDG 4. Reduce child mortality
> Information Brief (pdf 100kB): English - Français - Español
> Feature story: Social health insurance in developing countries: breaking the poverty - health care link
> Video: Out of Informality – Ghana’s Way to Decent Work
> Video: Maternity Protection in Tanzania
MDG 5. Improve maternal health
> Information Brief (pdf 105kB): English - Français - Español
> Feature article: Questions and answers about maternity at work
> Video: Protecting Maternity in Cambodia’s Textile Factories
> Video: Uganda: Maternity leave brings protection to women security guards
MDG 6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
> Information Brief (pdf 117kB): English - Français - Español
> Feature stories on HIV/AIDS and the world of work
> Video: Sisana is HIV Positive and Back at Work
> Video: India: Ending the Stigma of HIV/AIDS for Construction Workers
MDG 7. Ensure environmental sustainability
> Information Brief (pdf 143kB): English - Français - Español
> Feature story: Community tourism: respecting nature, local culture and indigenous peoples’ rights while on vacation
> Video: Haiti: From Storm Recovery to Sustainable Development
> Video: Peruvian Culture: A Tool For Development
MDG 8. Develop a global partnership for development
> Information Brief (pdf 139kB): English - Français - Español
> Feature story: Peacebuilding as one: UN launches new policy on generating employment in post-conflict environments
> Video: Public Private Partnerships for Decent Work
> Video: Introducing the Toolkit for Mainstreaming Employment and Decent Work
Contact
For more information please contact the ILO department of Communication in Geneva +4122/799-7912 , communication@ilo.org or the ILO Office for the United Nations in New York +1212/697-01-50 , newyork@ilo.org
