Millenium Development Goal - Progress 2011

MDG #1

The UN recently issued the 2011 report on the progress toward achievement of MD Goals toward 2015. The 78 page report is linked here.

The executive summary details progress along all the focus on efforts. The report also says that net aid to poor countries in 2010 was — at $128.7 billion — the "highest level of real aid ever recorded, and an increase of 6.5 per cent in real terms over 2009." 

But, of course, this was not enough since — by representing only 0.32 per cent of developed countries' combined national income, it fell far short of the UN target of 0.7 per cent.  It is a question whether successful development comes from money transfers to developing countries through aid programs or whether there is better success from conditions for national wealth creation from business and markets.

Supporting this conflicting viewpoint, as detailed in an interesting analysis by Steven Edwards of the Vancouver Sun: "Without too much fanfare, the United Nations admits in its newest report on the progress of the so-called Millennium Development Goals that wealth creation and not wealth redistribution is the main driver behind reduced levels of extreme poverty around the world".

In any case, with the two approaches working in parallel, evidence does indicate movement toward goal achievement.