1. Francesca Perucci United Nations Statistics Division
MDGs after 2015:
Francesca Perucci
United Nations Statistics Division

2. What have we learnt? Address the “missing elements” of the MD
Add the economic productive component
Better defined goals and targets at the global and national level
Clear, well-defined measurement framework to localize the MDGs
Addressing inequality issues

3. What have we learnt? Some of the current criticisms of the MDGs:
The goals are too ambitious
The MDG framework overlooks inequality and specific population groups
Global targets versus national targets?
The targets under Goal 8 are not numerical and do not set any specific deadlines
There is too much focus on health
Key elements of the MD are omitted (eg human rights)
Some targets are poorly addressed (such as women’s empowerment)
Some targets are poorly specified (slums)

4. What have we learnt? Are the indicators appropriate?
Vandemoortele’s view: “The misinterpretation of the MDGs as one-size-fits-all targets has set the bar for sub-Saharan African countries unrealistically high.” Should different targets be set at the national level?
Too many indicators? Too few?
Monitoring requirements are a big burden to countries.

5. Monitoring progress: the adoption of the MD was a defining moment for the development community
2000: Member States adopted the Millennium Declaration
The “road map” describes how these commitments would be fulfilled
The United Nations Secretariat convenes the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on MDG Indicators (IAEG) to identify indicators to track progress
The resulting set of goals, targets and indicators constitutes the Millennium Development Goal framework.
2005: At the World Summit, world leaders committed to four new targets, in addition to those contained in the Millennium Declaration
The IAEG identifies the additional indicators needed to monitor progress on the new targets

6. The MDGs as agreed framework for development
In the “Follow-up to the outcome of the Millennium Summit”, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to report yearly on progress achieved towards implementing the Declaration.
This was done based on the
MDG framework
8 Goals
18 Targets
48 Indicators
The adoption of the Millennium Declaration in 2000 by all member states of the UN was a defining moment for the international community. The Declaration, the culmination of a series of international conferences and summits beginning in 1990 with the World Summit for Children, embodied a synthesis of the goals set by these international development conferences and a body of international norms and laws that had been codified over the previous half-century.
The original 18 MDG targets were lifted verbatim from the Millennium Declaration and therefore represented the consensus of member states over a wide range of development areas.
As reflected in the MDGs, the Declaration also represented a new approach to development, with a full recognition that development is not exclusively economic, but also embraces human social and environmental dimensions. The MDGs also reflect a shift in emphasis from inputs to results and, importantly, the Declaration set specific measurable and time-bound targets for each Goal, with progress to be measured on the basis of a list of internationally-agreed indicators.
More than ten years later, the Millennium Declaration and the MDG framework for accountability that derived from it have inspired development efforts and helped set priorities and focus interventions.
Over the years, other concepts have seized the attention of the development community, but rarely, if ever, there has been such a large-scale attention and support on such a broad development agenda from such a wide range of actors in both developed and developing countries. Moreover, while there are criticisms of the MDGs and differences of opinion about the weight that should be attached to them, few people, from
any part of the political spectrum, now dismiss them outright.

7. Mapping the MDGs 8 goals 18 targets, 40+ indicators
Foster pro-poor policy reforms, resources re-allocation
Improve monitoring of indicators
8 goals
few in number
Output-based
Renew support for ODA
Centered on people
easy to communicate
18 targets, 40+ indicators
Time-bound and numerical targets for accountability
Will trigger action and foster alliances

8. MDGs: the achievements
The momentum generated by the MDGs
Increased awareness of development issues
Increased efforts by many donors to provide the necessary development assistance
Successful targeted interventions (malaria, HIV/AIDS, measles)
Increased attention to the need for strengthening statistical capacity
Nevertheless, the set of goals was initially perceived by many developing
countries primarily as a “top-down” initiative that was being imposed on them by the
developed countries without any corresponding commitments by the developed countries
themselves. Goal 8 was subsequently added to correct this imbalance, but the
perceptions of the developing countries, shared by many in civil society, lingered.
Although all are mentioned individually in the Millennium Declaration, the eight
Millennium Development Goals are not explicitly identified as a concrete set in the
Declaration itself and, while great emphasis was given to the fact that they were
“quantifiable”, there was no indication of how they should be measured.
the MDGs reflect donor rather
than developing country preferences. More generally, it is also argued that the MDGs
were developed in a top-down fashion and were a manifestation of “one-size-fits-all” in
development policy, not necessarily responding to the needs and wishes of the
individuals they are intended to help.
Many developing countries, as well as outside
observers, considered that setting the same goals and targets for countries at different
stages of development was inappropriate and even unjust - countries were reluctant to be
compared with others that were far ahead in their development process at the time of the
Millennium Declaration.
A broader reservation is that the MDGs are only a limited subset of the outcomes
of the global conferences and that the development agenda is far broader. And even the MD elements are not adequately covered

9. MDGs: the shortcomings
Criticism of the MDGs
Perceived by many developing countries primarily as a “top-down” initiative
Not all goals have clear numerical targets
No consensus on how progress towards the targets should be measured
One-size fits all is inappropriate for countries at different levels of development
Only a subset of development issues emerging from global conferences is included
Some elements of the MD are not included
Some goals are too ambitious
Little or no consideration given to their implications or feasibility at the regional or country level
Nevertheless, the set of goals was initially perceived by many developing
countries primarily as a “top-down” initiative that was being imposed on them by the
developed countries without any corresponding commitments by the developed countries
themselves. Goal 8 was subsequently added to correct this imbalance, but the
perceptions of the developing countries, shared by many in civil society, lingered.
Although all are mentioned individually in the Millennium Declaration, the eight
Millennium Development Goals are not explicitly identified as a concrete set in the
Declaration itself and, while great emphasis was given to the fact that they were
“quantifiable”, there was no indication of how they should be measured.
the MDGs reflect donor rather
than developing country preferences. More generally, it is also argued that the MDGs
were developed in a top-down fashion and were a manifestation of “one-size-fits-all” in
development policy, not necessarily responding to the needs and wishes of the
individuals they are intended to help.
Many developing countries, as well as outside
observers, considered that setting the same goals and targets for countries at different
stages of development was inappropriate and even unjust - countries were reluctant to be
compared with others that were far ahead in their development process at the time of the
Millennium Declaration.
A broader reservation is that the MDGs are only a limited subset of the outcomes
of the global conferences and that the development agenda is far broader. And even the MD elements are not adequately covered

10. What baseline year?

11. MDGs Monitoring and Reporting
 Global reporting: UN-DESA
UN/DESA, based on inputs prepared by the various designated agencies in the UN system and the World Bank, IMF and OECD, coordinates the preparation of the global report
National reporting: UNCT
MDG National Reports are prepared by UN Country Teams

12. MDGs Monitoring and Reporting
Global reporting: UN-DESA
The global report is used as a basis for the Secretary-General’s report to the General Assembly
Objective  provide a global assessment of progress towards the achievement of MDGs
Target audience  member states
National reporting: UNCT
MDG National Reports are prepared by UN Country Teams
Objective  raise awareness: advocate; focus national development debate on specific priorities; build national capacity for monitoring/reporting on MDGs
Target audience  national policy makers, civil society, development partners

13. MDGs Monitoring and Reporting
Selection of the indicators for MDG Monitoring
Consultations among the United Nations Secretariat, IMF, the World Bank and OECD led to the selection of more than 40 indicators for the monitoring of progress towards MDGs
Two subsequent inter-agency expert group meetings were held to further revise the millennium development goal indicators in March and April 2002

14. MDGs Monitoring and Reporting
Selection of the indicators for MDG Monitoring
The two inter-agency expert group meetings on the Millennium Indicators:
reviewed the MDG Indicators framework
discussed data availability, conceptual issues, data accuracy and measurement problem at national level
discussed geographical coverage and consistency over time for the calculation/estimation of regional and global figures for the two benchmark years (1990 and 2000)

15. MDGs Monitoring and Reporting
Selection of the indicators for MDG Monitoring
The two inter-agency expert group meetings on the Millennium Indicators produced the revised list of 48 Millennium Indicators. The list was adopted by all partner agencies and the UN Secretariat for the global monitoring towards the achievement of MDGs

16. Millennium Indicators
Why is the Millennium Indicator Set an important achievement?
It proved effective in building up consensus among agencies and collaboration in data compilation
It represents a first significant step in the search for harmonization and rationalization of development indicators within the UN system
It is a goal/target-oriented list and so provides policy-oriented statistics
It provides a framework for coordination among and within international organizations and between international organizations and countries, for statistical capacity-building

17. Millennium Indicators
From the Millennium Indicator Set to country-relevant indicators
There is concern on:
The selection of the indicators and their relevance to the targets
How to make MDG indicators relevant to and applicable at the country level
The availability and quality of data necessary for the MDG indicators

18. Millennium Indicators The selection of the indicators and their relevance to the targets: a few examples
Goal 3. Promote gender equality and empower women
Target 4. Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and to all levels of education no later than 2015
Ind Share of women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector (ILO)
The target does not address the whole spectrum of the goal.
The indicator does not have a clear link with the target.
The indicator is not completely adequate to address gender equality in the labour market. Other variables would need to be considered, such as working conditions, the levels of remuneration and wage differentials, labour legislation and social benefits, full-time versus part-time jobs, the status in employment, the importance of the informal sector/home-based work in the country, etc.

19. Millennium Indicators The selection of the indicators and their relevance to the targets: a few examples
Goal 8. Develop a global partnership for development
Target 16. In cooperation with developing countries, develop and implement strategies for decent and productive work for youth
Ind Unemployment rate of 15-to-24-year-olds, each sex and total (ILO)
Unemployment is but one dimension of the employment problems faced by young people. A large number of young women and men in many countries are underemployed – either working fewer hours than they would like to, or working long hours for little economic gain. Also, economic stagnation and declining opportunities in the formal sector have resulted in a shift to work in the informal sector or in unpaid house-based work.

20. Millennium Indicators
The process of selection of MDG Indicators had the main purpose of reaching a global consensus on ways of measuring and assessing progress in achieving development goals
MDG Indicators for national reporting should be tailored to countries’ needs and circumstances

21. Millennium Indicators
MDG Indicators for national reporting should be developed taking into account:
Gender perspectives
Differences among socio-economic and/or ethnic groups
Specific country’s circumstances in all spheres (such as health, education and the economy)

22. Millennium Indicators How to make MDG indicators relevant to and applicable at the country level: a few examples
Goal 1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Target 1. Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than one dollar a day
Ind. 1 - Proportion of population below $1(PPP) per day (World Bank)
At the country level it may be more relevant to consider the different dimensions of poverty, including not only market-based consumption, but also the public provision of goods and services, access to resources, aspects related to a satisfactory life, levels of education, health and mortality, etc.
This conceptualization may be more instrumental in understanding the conditions of social and economic deprivation and its gender dimension and be more informative for policy makers.

23. Millennium Indicators How to make MDG indicators relevant to and applicable at the country level: a few examples
Goal 1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Target 2. Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger
Ind. 4 - Prevalence of underweight children under five years of age (UNICEF - WHO)
There are countries where child malnutrition concerns only specific population groups/geographical areas. The global indicator therefore has no relevance unless appropriately disaggregated. Other specific aspects of child nutrition and well-being may be considered.

24. Millennium Indicators How to make MDG indicators relevant to and applicable at the country level: a few examples
Goal 6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
Target 8. Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases
Ind Prevalence and death rates associated with malaria (WHO)
Ind Proportion of population in malaria risk areas using effective malaria prevention and treatment measures (UNICEF - WHO)
Malaria represents a major disease when considering its toll on the world’s population or the population of specific regions and sub-regions. In most countries, however, other aspects of human health should be considered.

25. Millennium Indicators The availability and quality of data necessary for the MDG indicators
Problems with data for MDG Indicators are related to:
Lack of international standards
Failure in adopting international standards at the national level
Measurement problems
National programmes not fully developed in specific statistical areas
New statistical areas, with recent methodological development

26. Data availability for MDG Indicators: an example

27. Strengthening statistical capacity
The national reporting mechanisms – MDG country reports– can help identify areas where efforts to strengthen statistical capacity are most needed
One important outcome of the preparation of the MDG National Reports will be improved national capacity for national monitoring of MDGs
This will help raise awareness on the need to produce policy-oriented statistics, that is, statistics to address specific goals and targets

28. Conclusions
Keeping the global and national monitoring close together will help
Identify and correct differences and inconsistencies in statistics and indicators as presented at country level and in the global report/database
Incorporate inputs from countries in the global picture
Identify areas for improvement in statistics and channel resources and interventions of development partners towards them

29. Millennium Indicators Database millenniumindicators.un.org
United Nations Statistics Division

30. Millennium Indicators Database
In close collaboration with United Nations agencies and funds, the World Bank, IMF, and OECD, UNSD maintains the database containing the series related to the selected indicators, as well as other background series intended to supplement the basic 48 Millennium indicators for more in-depth analysis.

33. Millennium Indicators Database
The figures presented in the database are from international series compiled by the various agencies.
The availability of data necessary to calculate the indicators depends on the availability and quality of data in countries
When country data are not available or are affected by serious quality problems international agencies provide adjusted data or estimates

34. Coverage
1 year only
2 or more
years
GOAL 1 - Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Proportion of population below $1 (PPP) per day (WB) 82
Poverty gap ratio (WB)
Share of poorest quintile in national consumption (WB)
116 1
Prevalence of underweight children under 5 (UNICEF)
133
Proportion of undernourished population (FAO) 3 97

35. Coverage
1 year only
2 or more
years
GOAL 2 - Achieve universal primary education
Net enrolment ratio in primary education (UNESCO) 33
118
Prop. pupils starting grade 1 who reach grade 5 (UNESCO) 18 87
Literacy rates of years old (UNESCO)
136

36. Coverage
1 year
only
2 or more
years
GOAL 3 - Promote gender equality and empower women
Girls to boys ratio, primary level enrolment (UNESCO) 11
200
Girls to boys ratio, secondary level enrolment (UNESCO) 16
192
Girls to boys ratio, tertiary level enrolment (UNESCO) 23
151
Ratio of female over male literacy rates, aged (UNESCO)
136
Share of women in wage employment/non-agriculture (ILO) 40
Women in parliamentary seats, per cent (IPU) 6
174

37. Coverage
1 year only
2 or more
years
GOAL 4 - Reduce child mortality
Children under five mortality rate per 1,000 live births (UNICEF) 2
191
Infant mortality rate (0-1 year) per 1,000 live births (UNICEF)
Children 1 year old immunized against measles % (UNICEF) 4
183

38. Coverage
1 year
only
2 or more
years
GOAL 5 - Improve maternal health
Maternal mortality ratio per 100,000 live births (WHO)
183
Births attended by skilled health personnel, per cent (UNICEF)
157

39. Coverage
1 year only
2 or more
years
GOAL 6 - Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
HIV prevalence among pregnant women (UNAIDS)
104
Condom use rate of the contraceptive prevalence rate
data being compiled
AIDS orphans, cumulative (UNAIDS) 73
Malaria notified cases per 100,000 population (WHO)
109
Malaria death rate per 100,000, all ages (WHO)
191
% pop. <5 with fever being treated with anti-malarial drugs (UNICEF) 32
% use of insecticide-treated bed nets, in population <5 (UNICEF)
Tuberculosis prevalence rate per 100,000 population (WHO)
Tuberculosis death rate per 100,000 (WHO)
Proportion of cases detected and cured under DOTS (WHO)
141

40. Coverage
1 year
2 or more
only
years
GOAL 7 - Ensure environmental sustainability
Forested land area as percentage of land area (FAO estimates)
198
Ratio of protected areas to surface (UNSD calculated from UNEP)
Energy use (Kg oil equivalent) per $1000 (PPP) GDP (WB)
121
Carbon dioxide emissions (CO2), per capita (UNFCCC-CDIAC) 4
213
Ozone-depleting CFCs consumption (UNEP-Ozone Secretariat)
151
Proportion of population using solid fuels (WHO)
Data being compiled
% pop. with access to improved water sources, urban (UNICEF) 76 86
% pop. with access to improved water sources, rural (UNICEF) 77 84
% urban pop. with access to improved sanitation (UNICEF) 70 87
Proportion of households with access to secure tenure (Habitat)
n.a

41. Millennium Indicators Database
The database also contains the global and regional figures that have been used in the preparation of the Secretary-General’s report: Implementation of the United Nations Millennium Declaration, A/57/270

43. Millennium Indicators Database
In order to help focus analysis and assessment of progress at the country level, the Millennium indicators and background data series are also organized and presented by country in Millennium country profiles

45. Millennium Indicators Database
Metadata are also an important component of the database. At this stage, the information includes definitions and sources for each of the indicators presented.
More inputs from specialized agencies, on methodologies and related problems, will be included in the near future