UN publishes Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Report; sanitation still lagging

Significant strides have been made towards the Millennium Development Goals, yet reaching all the goals by the 2015 deadline remains challenging, as the world's poorest are being left behind, according to the MDG Report 2011, the UN's annual progress report which was released today. 

"The MDGs have helped lift millions of people out of poverty, save countless children's lives and ensure that they attend school," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. "At the same time, we still have a long way to go in empowering women and girls, promoting sustainable development, and protecting the most vulnerable.

“The poorest of the world are being left behind. We need to reach out and lift them into our lifeboat,” said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said during the launch of the report at the meeting of the High-level Segment of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) meeting from 4 to 8 July in Geneva. “Now is the time for equity, inclusion, sustainability and women’s empowerment,” he added.

As reported in a UN News article on the launch, "Advances in sanitation has also often bypassed the poor and those living in rural areas, with more than 2.6 billion people still lacking access to toilets or other forms of improved sanitation. In Southern Asia, for example, sanitation coverage for the poorest 40 per cent of households hardly increased between 1995 and 2008."

Advances in sanitation has also often bypassed the poor and those living in rural areas, with more than 2.6 billion people still lacking access to toilets or other forms of improved sanitation. In Southern Asia, for example, sanitation coverage for the poorest 40 per cent of households hardly increased between 1995 and 2008.

To download the report, visit http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/.