Issues of Our Times International Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Issues of Our Times International - Essay Example In this paper I will be examining the MDGs in terms of success or progress, success stories and failures with the aim drawing the lessons learnt. In the MDGs the world identified eight major challenges facing nations of the world especially in the developing world and embarked on an ambitious plan to reduce if not eliminate them. Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger across the world, achieving universal primary education and promoting gender equality and empowering women for the f8irst three MDGs. Significant progress has been seen in this area as by 2012 the world targets had been achieved. Reducing the rates of child mortality and improving maternal health care are two goals that still require a lot of effort especially in the poorest nations. The last three goals i.e. ensuring environmental sustainability, fighting diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and others, and developing global partnerships for development are the other goals on which some remarkable progress has been made but more is required in order to meaningfully influence lives. On a larger perspective and basing on available statistics, there has been some significant progress overall but with the 2015 deadline just around the corner the world may miss on the targets in some of the goals. In the first goal of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, the goal was set at halving the proportion persons living on $1.25 and below around the world. The target was achieved in 2008 mostly as a result of rapid economic expansion in the emerging economies of Asia. Persons in extreme poverty as well as poverty rates have gone down in all regions and the working poor have reduced significantly. Attaining universal primary education as a target has also seen significant effort, enrollment stood at 90% in 2010 as compared to 82% in 1999. Though encouraging the rate is slow and the goal may not be attained by 2015.over a half of those children out of school are sub-Saharan Africa,