The Millennium Development Goals relate to eight key areas of development; extreme poverty and hunger, primary education, gender equality, child mortality, maternal health, preventable diseases, environmental sustainability and global partnership for development. While the first seven are measured against progress achieved in poorer countries, the success of goal eight depends upon bringing about the reform of policies in developed nations, such as aid, debt relief and fairer trade, to enable global poverty reduction. The goals are linked to the criteria of the Human Development Index, defining development not simply as economic growth, but as a broader measure of individuals’ quality of life.

Achieving the Millennium Development Goals in Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste is one of the MDG focus countries because of its characteristics as a post-conflict country that requires urgent improvement of living conditions for people. Following the restoration of independence on 20 May 2002, Timor-Leste genuinely committed to attaining the MDGs. Being the newest member of the United Nations in 2002, Timor-Leste only formally began the process of achieving the MDGs when all other countries were already half way in the process of economic development.  
 

	Goal One: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and hunger Target 1: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than $1 a day Target 2: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger
	Goal Two: Achieve Universal Primary Education Target: Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling
	Goal Three: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women Target: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015
	Goal Four: Reduce Child Mortality Target: Reduced by two thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate
	Goal Five: Improve Maternal Health Target: Reduce by three quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio
	Goal Six: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria & Other Diseases Target 1: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS Target 2: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases
	Goal Seven: Ensure Environmental Sustainability Target 1: Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources Target 2: Halve, by 2015, the population of the people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation Target 3: By 2020, to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum-dwellers
	Goal Eight: Develop a Global Partnership for Development