Canada & United States of America

The Millennium Campaign North America works with several partners and is involved in campaigning activities in “Canada” and the “United States.”

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Responsibility of the US and Canada in Achieving the MDGs

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) take the highest ideals of the world and puts them into action. The United Nations, through the MDGs and similar initiatives, oversees the progress countries and governments are making to achieve a world that enables people to build better lives – both for themselves and for their families. These Goals are a declaration of the world’s commitment to eradicating extreme poverty and its underlying root causes, giving millions of people around the world hope for a better future.

By the target date of 2015 the eight interconnected MDGs aim to continue to: (1) decrease those living in poverty and hunger by half; (2) bring universal primary education to everyone; (3) eradicate gender inequality; (4) reduce child and (5) maternal deaths; (6) stop the spread of HIV/AIDS Malaria, Tuberculosis and other diseases; (7) work to achieve environmental sustainability; and, (8) create global development partnerships.

Developing countries are responsible for putting resources toward implementing policy and programming to achieve Goals one through seven. Developed countries, such as Canada and the United States, are responsible for helping the world to achieve the MDGs through Goal 8: Developing a Global Partnership for Development. Goal eight is divided into seven different targets explained below.

Target 1: Further develop a rule-based, predictable and nondiscriminatory open trading and financial system that includes a commitment to good governance, development and poverty reduction – both nationally and internationally. Explanation

Target 2: Address the Least Developed Countries’ (LDCs) special needs including: (a) tariff-free and quota-free access for exports; (b) enhanced debt relief for heavily indebted poor countries; (c) cancellation of official bilateral debt; and, (d) more generous Official Development Assistance (ODA) for countries committed to poverty reduction. Explanation

Target 3: Address the special needs of landlocked and small-island developing states. Explanation

Target 4: Deal comprehensively with developing countries’ debt problems through national and international measures to make debt sustainable in the long term. Explanation

Target 5: In cooperation with the developing countries, develop decent and productive work for youth. Explanation

Target 6: In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable essential drugs in developing countries. Explanation

Target 7: In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies—especially information and communications technologies. Explanation

Sources: 2010 MDG Report and Student Voices Against Poverty