Third Millennium Development Goal

To what extent do you agree that the world has made good progress towards meeting the third Millennium Development Goal?

The Millennium Summit of the United Nations established eight international development goals, which are called the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000. This followed the establishment of the United Nations Millennium Declaration. (United Nations) These eight goals have specified targets and dates to achieve them. All 193 member-states of the United Nations and 23 international organizations devoted to help achieve the followed goals by 2015. (United Nations) The eight Millennium Development Goals are to “eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, to achieve universal primary education, to promote gender equality and

Major progress has been made across all developing regions in reducing gender gaps in primary school attendance. All developing countries have achieved or nearly achieved gender parity in primary schooling in 2012. (2013 Fact Sheet – MDG) For example, in Southern Asia, only 74 girls were enrolled in primary school for every 100 boys in 1990. By 2012, the enrolment ratios were equal for girls as for boys. Also, substantial progress has been made towards attaining gender parity in school enrolment at all levels of education, not just primary, and in all poor or developing regions especially in Western and Southern Asia, however a huge gender disparity still remains. (United Nations Development Programme) Therefore, gender disparities are more existent at higher levels of education. An indicator is used, which is called the gender parity index (GPI) that is defined as girls’ gross school enrolment ratio divided by the correlating ratio for boys, is between 0.97 and 1.03. Gender inequality index (GII) is another indicator used to measure gender inequalities in three important aspects of human development. These three aspects are reproductive health, empowerment and economist status. The most significant progress is shown in Northern Africa, where the GPI increased from 0.82 to 0.96. (MDG Report 2014)

While more women and more men have entered the workforce over the last 10 years, in 49 countries, more women than men entered the work force. (World Economic Forum) The share of women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector has increased slowly over the past two decades due to the promotion of gender equality. This is another UN indicator as it measures the equality of employment opportunity of women. It increased globally from 35% in 1990 to 40% in 2012, showing steady progress and increase. (MDG Report 2014) The most impressive progress has been displayed in sub-Saharan Africa, an increase of 10% over the period 1990–2012. (MDG Report