On 17 January 2005, the Millennium Project - an advisory body to the UN that brings together 265 of the world’s leading development experts - published a report "Investing in Development".
The report proposes a package of specific cost-effective measures that would allow to cut extreme poverty by half and radically improve the lives of at least one billion people in the developing countries by 2015.
In the field of health, the report highlights the following challenges:
Child and maternal health, which focus on stronger health systems and access to reproductive health and skilled attendants at delivery;
AIDS prevention and treatment, including successful completion of the 3 by 5 initiative to bring 3 million AIDS patients in developing countries onto antiretroviral treatment by the end of 2005;
Malaria interventions, in particular the mass distribution of malaria bed-nets and effective antimalaria medicines;
TB care and treatment through DOTS - the internationally-recommended TB control strategy;
Providing better nutrition, safe water and sanitation;
Addressing trade, research and donor issues to provide access to essential medicines.
Sexual and reproductive health, including universal access to contraception, education programmes, prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections.
Background information
In September 2000, at the United Nations Millennium Summit, world leaders placed development at the heart of the global agenda by adopting the UN Millennium Declaration. The Declaration was then followed by Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - a set of measurable goals and targets to be reached by 2015.
Three out of the eight goals relate to health, as well as eight out of 18 targets, and 18 of 48 indicators. Health is also an important contributor to several other goals (see chart).
More than one billion people - one sixth of the world’s population - live in extreme poverty, lacking safe water, proper nutrition, basic health care and social services needed to survive.
Almost 11 million children die each year, six million of them under five from preventable diseases, 500 000 thousand women do not survive pregnancy or childbirth, and there are presently 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS.
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