Countdown is On for the Millennium Development Goals

With less than a year left before the expiry of the MDGs, international policy makers are deep in discussion as to the next step in the global effort to eradicate extreme poverty. The “Post-2015 Agenda” is being considered at the highest political levels, guided by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the High Level Panel. A set of follow-on goals to the MDGs known as the “sustainable development goals” (SDGs) have been formally adopted by the UN General Assembly, which expressly include standalone goals for both education and gender equality (goals four and five respectively). The SDGs will “be the main basis for integrating sustainable development goals into the post-2015 development agenda”. The next critical step in discussions will be the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in June 2015, under the auspices of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).