Most people don't realize that roughly 70 per cent of the UN system focuses its work on promoting social progress and improving the well-being of people around the world. The main components of development are:

• Living a long and healthy life
• Being educated
• Having a decent standard of living
• Having the freedom to participate in the life of one's community

All development is ultimately about expanding human potential and human freedoms. It is more than just raising one's income. Development cannot occur without the freedom from misery, hunger, illiteracy and disease. People who live in extreme poverty lack choices. Having a decent standard of living gives us the means to pursue our desires and dreams. Human rights come into play when we acknowledge that everyone should have the same opportunities to develop their abilities to fullest extent.

Development ceases to move forward when violent conflict erupts, human rights are violated, or the rule of law is disregarded. At the same time, the lack of development can also lead to war.

In order for development to have a long-term positive effect, it must be sustainable. Sustainable development is about making sure that the earth's resources that we use to promote economic growth will be available to future generations. The current attention given to the threats posed by global climate change is an example of how human freedoms and human development can be eroded when economic growth and development is divorced from environmental concerns.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has referred to climate change as "the moral challenge of our generation." If we fail to act to reduce its impact, inequalities between the rich and poor will increase those people who live in poverty will face a future of greater hardship.

The Millennium Development Goals

At the UN Millennium Summit in 2000, world leaders met to develop a plan to improve the quality of life in developing countries. All countries signed the Millennium Declaration, the first internationally agreed upon framework for fighting global poverty, hunger, disease, and inequality. By signing the Declaration, all countries "recognize that, in addition to our separate responsibilities to our individual societies, we have a collective responsibility to uphold the principles of human dignity, equality, and equity at the global level. As leaders we have a duty therefore to all of the world's people, especially the most vulnerable and, in particular, the children of the world, to whom the future belongs."

To realize the aspirations of the Millennium Declaration, eight specific development goals were created. Now known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), these goals address the root causes of poverty and inequality with a target achievement date of 2015. The MDGs are more than commitments; they offer a program of action to combat many of the world's ills through a global partnership. Moreover, the goals are interconnected so that in order to achieve one, a country must also work toward achieving the others. For example, children's health cannot be improved without providing clean water, and women's rights cannot be realized without providing girls with equal access to primary education.

The eight MDGs are:

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

2. Achieve universal primary education

3. Promote gender equality and empower women

4. Reduce child mortality

5. Improve maternal health

6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases

7. Ensure environmental sustainability

8. Develop a global partnership for development

The MDGs are unique to other international agreements in several ways. First, they are an agreement between the governments of the global North and the South, prescribing the actions both developed and developing countries must take in order to realize the goals. In addition, international organizations and NGOs have entered this partnership and are dedicated to helping countries achieve the MDGs. Second, the goals are both monitorable and measurable, with clear targets and indicators. Third, the MDGs are time-bound: There is a clearly defined date-2015-by which they should be achieved. Finally, the MDGs can be adapted to various country contexts and the targets adjusted to appropriately reflect the development realities of different States.

The MDGs are lofty goals that affect the health, security, and well-being of everyone in the world. Will the world succeed in achieving them? Can we afford to fail? Despite the challenges poor countries face, many have made considerable progress, and awareness of the plight of the global poor is growing in wealthy countries. Yet much more must be done. Poor countries must ensure greater accountability to their citizens and more efficient use of resources. Wealthier countries must do their part by providing more effective aid and faster, deeper debt relief, and by reforming trade policies.