(Reuters)
The U.N. Millennium Development Goals, approved in 2000 by U.N. member states and the world's top development organizations, are the theme of next week's General Assembly gathering of world leaders.
The eight goals are meant to be achieved by 2015. Following is a description of them:
SLASH POVERTY AND HUNGER
* Cut in half the number of people living on less than $1 a day.
* Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people.
* Halve the number of people suffering from hunger.
ACHIEVE UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION
* Ensure that all boys and girls get a complete primary school education.
PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY
* Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education.
REDUCE CHILD MORTALITY
* Reduce by two-thirds the mortality rate for children under age 5.
IMPROVE MATERNAL HEALTH
* Reduce by three-quarters the maternal mortality rate and achieve universal access to reproductive health.
COMBAT AIDS, MALARIA AND OTHER DISEASES
* Halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS.
* Achieve by 2010 universal access to treatment for HIV and AIDS.
* Halt and begin to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases.
ENSURE ENVIRONMENTAL STABILITY AND REVERSE LOSS OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES
* Integrate principles of sustainable development into national policies and reverse loss of environmental resources.
* Achieve a significant reduction in the rate of loss of biodiversity by 2010.
* Halve the number of people in the world without safe drinking water and basic sanitation.
* Improve the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by 2010.
DEVELOP A GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR DEVELOPMENT
* Address needs of least developed, landlocked and small-island states.
* Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, nondiscriminatory trading and financial system.
* Deal comprehensively with developing countries' debt.
* Cooperate with pharmaceutical companies to provide access to affordable drugs in developing countries.
* Work with private sector to make available the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications.
