Health and the Millennium Development Goals

In September 2000, the largest-ever gathering of Heads of State ushered in the new millennium by adopting the Millennium Declaration. The Declaration, endorsed by 189 countries, was then translated into a roadmap setting out goals to be reached by 2015.
The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) build on agreements made at United Nations conferences in the 1990s and represent commitments to reduce poverty and hunger, and to tackle ill-health, gender inequality, lack of education, lack of access to clean water and environmental degradation.
The MDGs are framed as a compact, which recognizes the contribution that developed countries can make through trade, development assistance, debt relief, access to essential medicines and technology transfer.
Some of WHO's work is tied directly to one MDG, for example, WHO's work on HIV/AIDS. Other work touches not one specific goal, but several at the same time, for example, WHO's work on strengthening health systems.
This website provides easy access to information on WHO activities on the MDGs. It also includes recent publications on the topic.

Overview

The aim of the High-Level Forum (HLF) on the Health Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is to provide an opportunity for candid dialogue between senior policy makers and identify opportunities for accelerating action on the health-related MDGs.The idea for the High-Level Forum emerged from a meeting of development agencies and developing countries that took place in Ottawa, hosted by the Government of Canada, the World Bank and the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID) in May 2003. The HLF is coordinated by a small secretariat provided by the World Health Organization and the World Bank. Forum participants include ministers and senior officials from developing countries as well as heads of bilateral and multilateral agencies, foundations, regional organizations and global partnerships.The first High-Level Forum (HLF) on the Health Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) took place in Geneva in January 2004. Discussions focused on resources, aid effectiveness and harmonization and on human resources for health. Action on establishing a global health metrics network was agreed.
The second High-Level Forum on the Health MDGs was held in December 2004 in Abuja, Nigeria and co-sponsored by the Government of Nigeria. Key points of discussion covered progress toward health MDGs in low and middle income countries; MDG-oriented poverty reduction and sector strategies; monitoring performance and tracking resource flows; action on the human resources crisis in health; and health in low-income countries under stress.

The third High-Level Forum on the Health MDGs, was held in Paris France, on 14 and 15 November 2005. Major topics discussed were: financial sustainability and fiscal space; global health partnerships and aid effectiveness, and health in fragile states.