Rationale

At the Millennium Summit in September 2000, world leaders agreed on an ambitious agenda. In addition to declaring their support for freedom, democracy and human rights, they set eight goals (“Millennium Development Goals”) for development and poverty eradication, to be achieved by the year 2015:

• Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

• Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education

• Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women

• Goal 4: Reduce child mortality

• Goal 5: Improve maternal health

• Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.

• Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability

• Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development

Building upon the successes of many local level sustainable development initiatives in the past decade, the global community recognized that the progress towards the Millennium Development Goals will be determined first and foremost by progress at local level. Local actors will need national and global support. (Extract from the United Nations Development Programme).