From Millennium Development

Goals to Sustainable

Development Goals A brief introduction to the UN process

Dora Almassy

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The history of the MDGs

UN Photo

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The 8 MDGs

Source: UN Photo

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MDG 7: Ensuring environmental

sustainability targets

A. Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources

B. Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss

C. Halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation

D. Achieve, by 2020, a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers

TARGETS

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Official MDG 7 indicators

Target 7.A 7.1 Proportion of land area covered by forest

7.2 CO2 emissions, total, per capita and per $1 GDP

(PPP)

7.3 Consumption of ozone-depleting substances

7.4 Proportion of fish stocks within safe biological limits

7.5 Proportion of total water resources used

Target 7.B 7.6 Proportion of terrestrial and marine areas protected

7.7 Proportion of species threatened with extinction

Target 7.C 7.8 Proportion of population using an improved drinking

water source

7.9 Proportion of population using an improved sanitation

facility

Target 7.D 7.10 Proportion of urban population living in slums

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MDG Implementation Framework

After signing the Millennium

Declaration in 2000 and

conceptualizing the MDGs in 2001, the

UN needed to ensure that the goals

would not merely remain commitments

but would actually be targeted and

achieved As a first step, in 2002, the

OECD heads of states and

governments committed to increase

official development assistance (ODA)

by signing the Monterrey Consensus.

[Hulme 2009]

As an additional framework for

international support, the UN

Millennium project was launched in the

same year, with the aim of developing

concrete action plans for the

successful implementation of the

MDGs and as a major step in

implementation, at the 2005 World

Summit in Johannesburg it was agreed

that every country would develop and

adopt a national MDG strategy by

2006. [Millennium Promise 2010] The

idea of integrating social and

environmental issues into national

development frameworks proved to be

a successful means of gaining an

understanding of and tackling the

challenges and links between the

three main dimensions of sustainable

development. Currently more than 100

countries report to the UN regarding

the implementation of their national

sustainable development or similar

strategies [UNDG 2010].

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The Millennium Villages initiative

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Where do we stand in 2013?

The proportion of people living in extreme poverty has been halved at the global level

There is less aid money overall, with the poorest countries most adversely affected

Environmental sustainability is under severe threat

• Global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) have increased by more than 46 per cent since 1990.

• Nearly one third of marine fish stocks have been overexploited.

• Many species are at risk of extinction, despite an increase in protected areas.

• An estimated 863 million people reside in slums in the developing world

• More than 2.1 billion people and almost 1.9 billon people, respectively, have gained access to improved water sources and sanitation facilities since 1990.

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Regional progress towards the indicators

of MDG 7

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Halve proportion of

population without

improved drinking water

Halve proportion of

population without

sanitation

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Population with access to drinking water, urban

and rural areas, 1990, 2000 and 2011 (Millions)

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What comes after 2015?

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The post-2015 process

Source: http://www.unwater.org/post2015.html

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The issue of water in the post-2015 process

• 22-24 May 2013: third session on water and sanitation

Open Working Group

• Water and sanitation ranked #2 in Member States' priorities

Secretary-General report to the OWG

• ODI Future Goal Tracker database: 44 proposals discussed water Goal proposals

• 6a. Provide universal access to safe drinking water at home, and in schools, health centers, and refugee camps

• 6b. End open defecation and ensure universal access to sanitation at school and work, and increase access to sanitation at home

• 6c. Bring freshwater withdrawals in line with supply and increase water efficiency in agriculture, industry and urban areas

• 6d. Recycle or treat all municipal and industrial wastewater prior to discharge

HLP Goal #6: Achieve Universal Access to

Water and Sanitation

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The World We Want

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Thank you!