Investing in Development: A Practical Plan to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals

This paper proposes a global framework that will enable all countries to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The report is structured in four parts:

• Part 1:
  • Presents an overview of worldwide progress;
  • Analyzes reasons behind certain regions falling short of achieving the MDGs;
  • Describes the relationship between the MDGs and economic growth.
• Part 2:
  • Presents the United Nations Millennium Project's recommendations for making the MDGs operational in developing countries, outlining:
    • A core framework - its contents and processes;
    • Interventions for national poverty reduction;
    • Steps to build a relevant governance system.
  • Describes contributions of civil society organizations as well as the private sector in achieving the MDGs;
  • Identifies priorities in Sub-Saharan Africa, in countries emerging from conflict, as well as other regions of the world.
• Part 3:
  • Emphasizes the importance of trade reforms and reforms of the donor system in achieving the MDGs;
  • Outlines issues that national poverty reduction strategies can address through regional and global strategies and institutions.
• Part 4:
  • Evaluates the cost implications of country-level MDG investment strategies;
  • Presents a co-financing approach to support these strategies through increased domestic resource mobilization and increased official development assistance.

Finally, the report highlights the benefits of achieving the MDGs and assesses the possibilities for the world in 2015.