September 20, 2001
The World Bank announced in Washington on September 19, 2001 that it is joining the United Nations as a full partner in implementing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which aim to improve the lives of the world's poor.
"The Millennium Development Goals offer concrete targets for everyone to rally around in the global fight against poverty," said World Bank President James D. Wolfensohn. "But reaching the goals will require action from both rich and developing countries. Rich countries must boost foreign aid to the developing world, remove barriers to the exports of developing countries, encourage private investment, and make the benefits of science and technology available to all the world's peoples. Developing countries, meanwhile, must put in place the right economic policies, work to improve governance, invest in their people, and create an environment that is conducive to growth and development."
The MDGs were endorsed by 189 countries at the September 2000 UN Millennium General Assembly in New York. They aim to cut by half the proportion of people in extreme poverty worldwide by 2015, provide education, improve health, and preserve the environment. The goals provide a unique opportunity for coordinating the efforts and combining the resources of a diverse range of development partners to maximize their impact.
For its part, the World Bank has been fully engaged in the international effort to define the goals, said Eduardo Doryan, the Bank's Special Representative to the UN in New York.
"By joining the UN in implementing the MDGs, the Bank aims to put the goals at the heart of its development agenda," Doryan said. "Having a well crafted set of goals, targets and indicators emphasizes the importance of monitoring performance against outcomes and adopting effective means of reaching agreed goals. We will encourage our member countries to adapt these goals to their own situations and to incorporate them in poverty reduction strategies that address the needs of the poorest people."
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