Editing International development (section)

=== Millennium Development Goals (2000 to 2015) ===
{{Main|Millennium Development Goals}}

In 2000, United Nations signed the [[United Nations Millennium Declaration]], which includes eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to be achieved by 2015.  This represented the first time that a holistic strategy to meet the development needs of the world has been established, with measurable targets and defined indicators.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mdg/default.aspx|title=Millennium Development Goals Indicators|publisher=United Nations Statistics Division|access-date=2008-01-13|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080103065539/http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mdg/Default.aspx|archive-date=2008-01-03}}</ref>

Because the MDGs were agreed as global targets to be achieved by the global community, they are independent of, but by no means unrelated to, individual national interests. The goals imply that every state has a set of obligations to the world community to meet and that other states, who have achieved those goals, have an obligation to help those who have not. As such they may represent an extension of the concept of human rights.

The first seven Millennium Development Goals present measurable goals, while the eighth lists a number of 'stepping stone' goals – ways in which progress towards the first seven goals could be made. Each goal uses indicators based on statistical series  collected and maintained by respected organisations in each relevant field (usually the UN agency responsible but also the OECD, IMF and World Bank)

The MDGs have catalysed a significant amount of action, including new initiatives such as [[Millennium Promise]]. Most of these initiatives however work in small scale interventions which do not reach the millions of people required by the MDGs.

Recent praise has been that it will be impossible to meet the first seven goals without meeting the eighth by forming a ''Global Partnership for Development''. No current organisation has the capacity to dissolve the enormous problems of the developing world alone – especially in cities, where an increasing number of poor people live – as demonstrated by the almost nonexistent progress on the goal of improving the lives of at least 100 Million slum dwellers.{{Citation needed|date=January 2008}}

The [[Institution of Civil Engineers]] ''Engineering Without Frontiers'' panel and its recommendations, and the 2007 Brunel Lecture by the ICE's 2009–2010 president [[Paul Jowitt]], are representative of a change of approach in the UK at least to start drawing together the huge capacity available to western governments, industry, academia and charity to develop such a partnership.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sistech.co.uk/media/ICEBrunelLecture2006.pdf?Docu_id=1420&faculty=14|author=Jowitt, Paul|year=2006|title=Engineering Civilisation from the Shadows|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061006054029/http://www.sistech.co.uk/media/ICEBrunelLecture2006.pdf?Docu_id=1420&faculty=14|archive-date=2006-10-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sistech.co.uk/media/Jowitt_EWF_ICE_Cambridge_nzss2004_final_pdf.pdf|author=Jowitt, Paul|title=Engineering Without Frontiers|date=July 2004|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070221203717/http://www.sistech.co.uk/media/Jowitt_EWF_ICE_Cambridge_nzss2004_final_pdf.pdf|archive-date=2007-02-21}}</ref>