The MDGs crystallize commitments ma

The MDGs crystallize commitments made separately at various international conferences and summits during the 1990s. They are said to be innovative in that they explicitly recognize interdependence among growth, poverty reduction, and sustainable development; they acknowledge that development rests on the foundations of democratic governance, the rule of law, respect for human rights, and peace and security; they are based on time-bound and measurable targets accompanied by indicators for monitoring progress; and they bring together, in the eighth goal, the responsibilities of developing countries with those of developed countries, founded on a global partnership endorsed at an International Conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey, Mexico, in March 2002 and a similar conference held at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development in August 2002. In 2001, the UN Secretary General presented a Road Map Towards the Implementation of the United Nations Millennium Declaration (UN 2001) that is said to be “an integrated and comprehensive overview of the situation, outlining potential strategies for action designed to meet the goals and commitments of the Millennium Declaration.” This “road map” has been followed by annual reports on progress toward meeting the goals by the UN Secretary General. The main agency charged with “coordinating global and local efforts” is the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), an organization founded in 1946 that sees itself as “advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life” (UNDP 2008). The UNDP has offices in 166 countries and is the largest UN organization. Unlike the World Bank, however, the UNDP has virtually no money to give out as loans or grants. Instead, its methods include campaigning and mobilizing for the MDGs through advocacy; sharing the best strategies for meeting the MDGs in terms of innovative practices, policy and institutional reforms, means of policy implementation, and the evaluation of financing options; monitoring and reporting progress toward attainment of the MDGs; and supporting governments in tailoring the MDGs to local circumstances.