Background on MDG 7 (Ensure environmental sustainability)
In 2000, 189 world nations, including the United States met at the United Nations Millennium Summit as a commitment to attain the MDGs. The aim of these goals is to improve the living standards in the world’s poorest nations by 2015 (Chibba, 2011). MDG 7, Ensuring Environmental Sustainability targets at integrating the principles of sustainable development into national programs and policies. Climate change has exerted a disproportionate effect on the world’s poorest countries that are argued to have contributed less towards the problem. For instance, Africa accounts for only 2% of world emissions yet its populations confront the greatest challenges from disrupted water supplies to drought (Jensen & United Nations, 2014). Poverty stricken nations lack basic financial means and infrastructure to respond appropriately to these challenges. Lack of basic sanitation and dirty water undermine attempts to eliminate diseases and thwart extreme poverty in the world’s poorest nations.
What has been done to date toward achieving the goal?
Eastern Asia has reported the greatest level of progress as sanitation coverage rose from 27% in the 90s to 70% in 2011 (Chibba, 2011). Nevertheless, we need a strong push to achieve this goal globally. Thwarting open defecation is a practice which continues to pose critical environmental and health risks to entire communities. As such, it is a key factor in constant advances in sanitation. In the developing nations, it is estimated that roughly 900 million people live in slums. As per 2010, over 200 million people living in slums gained access to better sanitation, improved water and less crowded housing thus attaining twice the MDG aim of enhancing the lives of 100 million slum dwellers. From 2010 to 2012 alone, living standards improved to a point where an extra 44 million individuals were no more residing in slums (Chibba, 2011).
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How do they relate to health?
The United Nations Millennium Summit was a peculiar global declaration where world leaders including European nations committed to attaining eight clear and measurable goals. The aim of these MDGs was to reduce discrimination, end extreme poverty and curb diseases in the developing economies by 2015 (Jensen & United Nations, 2014). Responding to the inevitable intersection between lack of health and poverty, most of the MDGs relate partially to health. To be precise, three goals were crafted to address the core components of the health crisis in the developing economies expressly. The health-related MDGs include number 4, 5 and 6. They aim at reducing infant mortality in poor nations. The purpose of MDG 5 is to increase efforts to revamp maternal health, precisely to curb a third of maternal mortality ratio and attain universal access to proper reproductive health. The primary aim of MDG 6 is to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other serious diseases (Jensen & United Nations, 2014).
References
Chibba, M. (2011). The Millennium Development Goals: Key current issues and challenges. Development Policy Review , 29, 1.)
Jensen, L. & United Nations. (2014). Millenium development goals report: 2014 . New York: United Nations.
