In drought plagued northern highlands of Ethiopia, a small scale irrigation project has meant new life for residents..

Photo: Paul Jeffrey/ACT International

Millennium Development Goals

At the United Nations’ Millennium General Assembly in September 2000, 189 countries, including the United States, endorsed goals to cut in half the percentage of people living in extreme poverty and substantially improve health and education in impoverished countries by 2015. This compassionate agenda is called the Millennium Development Goals or MDGs.

The MDGs represent the clearest indication to date of a global consensus on the need to end extreme poverty. The goals include specific measurable targets for their achievement.

Church World Service has endorsed the ONE Campaign, an effort to rally Americans to fight poverty and AIDS worldwide. The Campaign seeks to build public support for increasing Overseas Development Assistance to 0.7 percent of the Gross National Product.

CWS joins over 100 organizations in calling for a US Presidential Initiative on basic education in developing countries.

Peace & Justice News:
Get engaged: New resource helps make Millennium Development Goals real

MDG Resources

Millennium Development Goals Backgrounder
Background and resources on the Millennium Development Goals

More MDG resources • Related links