The MDGs are a set of poverty-busting targets agreed by 189 nations in the year 2000. They cover hunger and extreme poverty, education, gender equality, child mortality, maternal health, HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, environmental sustainability, and a commitment to global cooperation for development.

As a quick guide, we’ve put together a new page that explains the MDGs and progress towards them, do have a look and share with your networks — we will continue to update this page as the clock ticks closer to 2015.

Please also urge your friends and family to join ONE. Now more than ever we need to make sure we hold leaders to account over the promises they made to the world’s poor.

The arrival of the prolonged seasonal rains, coupled with a scaling up of humanitarian and early recovery operations in recent months, has improved the situation on the ground in southern Somalia, with three regions -– Bay, Bakool and Lower Shabelle — being downgraded from famine status to that of humanitarian emergency.

This progress brings some hope. But the hard-won gains are still extremely fragile. Without ongoing assistance, they could be reversed.

Four million people remain in crisis in Somalia. Of these, 250,000 are at risk of dying. A further one million Somalis are living in refugee camps in neighbouring countries.

Fortunately, the humanitarian and development communities continue to show their commitment to responding to the crisis and improving the lives of Somali men, women and children.

Yet we still face significant challenges, as demonstrated by the recent ban by the Al Shabaab group, of six UN agencies and 10 non-governmental organizations working in southern Somalia.

The progress we have made must be sustained, and we must be prepared for the long haul.

International support must continue at the same –- or even an increased -– level throughout 2012. This week, we launched the Consolidated Appeal Process which outlines the planned humanitarian assistance program in Somalia for 2012.

The program aims to reduce malnutrition rates, prevent further internal and international displacement, and assist people who are already on the move or stranded. It includes 349 projects from 148 organizations, including NGOs and the UN, and is seeking $1.5 billion to respond to the most urgent life-saving needs of Somalis in crisis.

Resilience is a key theme within the 2012 CAP, under which the UN Development Programme will be strongly engaged with specific initiatives to reduce dependency on humanitarian assistance and ensure households can withstand future shocks.

UNDP will also continue its work in the areas of emergency income generation and infrastructure rebuilding through cash for work initiatives.

Through our support to the establishment of rule of law, UNDP will support activities focused on the protection of vulnerable groups, particularly in the capital, Mogadishu, where cases of sexual and gender-based violence have been increasing.

There will always be challenges to the provision of assistance to Somalia, and 2012 will be no exception. But Somalia cannot be allowed to fall off the international humanitarian and development agenda at this crucial time.

-Mark Bowden, UN Resident & Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative for Somalia

Follow the UN in Somalia on Facebook.

Americans call it “soccer,” but the rest of the world calls it “football.”

Whatever you call it, two of the game’s finest, Ronaldo and Zinédine Zidane, both UN Development Programme (UNDP) Goodwill Ambassadors, have mobilized friends to play in Hamburg, Germany, today with proceeds going to ease the food crisis in the Horn of Africa.

The Horn of Africa is facing the worst drought in 60 years, prompting the worst famine in 20 years and leaving 13 million people in dire need. More than 2 million have been displaced. Relief efforts have saved thousands of lives, but the situation throughout Somalia remains especially critical, with 4 million people still in crisis and 250,000 facing famine.
Images of the crisis are harrowing.

The annual Match Against Poverty, now in its 9th year of raising awareness of and relief aid, promotes action on the anti-poverty Millennium Development Goals. It will be broadcast live on more than 20 national and international television networks.

Two-thirds of the match proceeds will bolster humanitarian and recovery activities in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, where UN agencies are providing emergency food aid, water, shelter and health care. Remaining funds will go toward community development projects focused on sports, youth, education and the environment, and corporate social responsibility among its sponsors and partners.

Find out more about what UNDP is doing in the region, watch the match, or make a donation. See a map of the region and learn more about the interface between disaster and conflict in the developing world.

-Sarah Jackson-Han, United Nations Development Programme

Today, President Obama gave his first address to the UN General Assembly today, focusing on the pursuit of peace in an imperfect world. His speech touched on the highlights of the year, including South Sudan’s independence, the Ivory Coast’s landmark election, the famine in the Horn of Africa and HIV/AIDS. Perhaps the most moving part of his speech is when he said, in plain English, “Peace is hard.” Read the full speech, watch it in the player above, or read some of our favorite excerpts here:

On the famine:
“To combat the poverty that punishes our children, we must act on the belief that freedom from want is a basic human right. The United States has made it a focus of our engagement abroad to help people to feed themselves. And today, as drought and conflict have brought famine to the Horn of Africa, our conscience calls on us to act. Together, we must continue to provide assistance, and support organizations that can reach those in need. And together, we must insist on unrestricted humanitarian access so that we can save the lives of thousands of men and women and children. Our common humanity is at stake. Let us show that the life of a child in Somalia is as precious as any other. That is what our commitment to our fellow human beings demand.”

On global health:
“To stop disease that spreads across borders, we must strengthen our system of public health. We will continue the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. We will focus on the health of mothers and of children. And we must come together to prevent, and detect, and fight every kind of biological danger — whether it’s a pandemic like H1N1, or a terrorist threat, or a treatable disease.”

On corruption:
“And to make sure our societies reach their potential, we must allow our citizens to reach theirs. No country can afford the corruption that plagues the world like a cancer. Together, we must harness the power of open societies and open economies. That’s why we’ve partnered with countries from across the globe to launch a new partnership on open government that helps ensure accountability and helps to empower citizens.”

On South Sudan:
“Think about it: One year ago, when we met here in New York, the prospect of a successful referendum in South Sudan was in doubt. But the international community overcame old divisions to support the agreement that had been negotiated to give South Sudan self-determination. And last summer, as a new flag went up in Juba, former soldiers laid down their arms, men and women wept with joy, and children finally knew the promise of looking to a future that they will shape.”

Imagine you’re holding a one minute sand timer. Turn it over, and let the sand flow.

Consider that, in the single minute it takes for the sand to fall, 23 hectares of land will be lost to drought and desertification. That’s approximately 20 football pitches, per minute.

Over the course of a year, that equates to 24 billion tons of fertile soil, the most significant, non-renewable natural resource we have. That’s 24 billion tons, per year.

While the remaining sand piles up, consider the global impact this loss of fertile land has on water and food security. Over the next 25 years land degradation could reduce global food productivity by as much as 12 percent, leading to a 30 percent increase in world food prices.

We’ve all seen the impact of rising food prices in the cost of our supermarket shopping baskets. But if you are in the bottom billion of the world’s poor, of course, this is more than an economic annoyance at the checkout. As a poor farmer in the Horn of Africa, you watch as your crops wither from lack of rain, your once productive land turns to dust and your family goes hungry.

Thankfully, there is a solution. We need to stop working against the natural environment and do something positive to mainstream sustainable land management techniques into global policy and local practice. In delivering food and water security, these techniques will help us take genuine steps towards combating global poverty.

The United Nations General Assembly will meet on September 20 in New York. Preparations to discuss desertification, land degradation and drought in the context of poverty eradication and sustainable development, are thankfully gathering pace. We can all see the importance of a unified emergency response when drought and famine strike –- the situation in the Horn of Africa is testament to that. Leaders also need to take bold steps to ensure the best land management techniques are adopted for global food security, poverty reduction and environmentally sustainable growth.

Now is the time for leaders to commit and deliver. In choosing to protect land against further degradation, they will build community resilience against the crippling effects of drought and famine.

The side-effects of failing to act decisively with sustainable solutions are increasingly horrifying. Mass hunger, social tension, unemployment, migration, political instability and armed conflict will rise in countries where land is under pressure. We all need to embrace a strategy around prevention that secures the health and productivity of land for the well-being of present and future generations.

In reality, eradicating hunger will take longer than one minute. Sustainable Land Management techniques require a period of time before the benefits are felt. That’s why we need to start now. With the help of ONE supporters, we can ensure these techniques are mainstreamed into global policy and local practice.

Luc Gnacadja, executive secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

We’re big proponents of holding countries to their promises, and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight whoppers. Progress in the developing world is almost exclusively measured against the targets laid out in the MDGs, and with good reason — every single member of the United Nations (UN) committed to them. More than a decade after these commitments were made, how far have we come?

The Millennium Development Goals Report 2011 is the annual assessment said to be the most comprehensive measure of progress toward the MDGs. The report is compiled from the most up-to-date data by more than 25 UN and international agencies. This year’s report was launched last week by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who says there is reason to celebrate, as major successes have been made since the Millennium Development Goals were established in 2000. A closer look shows the noted but not dwelled-upon fact that progress has been uneven across countries and across sectors.

Many of the reports I read about international development issues follow the same course as this one. It starts with the goal (in this case the MDGs), and follows with a few cream-of-the-crop statistics — sometimes global, but usually focusing on a few model countries or regions. The bulk of the report is a good news/bad news analysis of the progress being made and progress yet to be made, a few recommendations (example: focus on girls, fragile states or vulnerable populations) and the report ends in tables of data, an anticlimactic but invaluable resource to those of us who pore over them for updates. This is not a categorically bad recipe. Progress should be highlighted, and top-line facts (here in the global press release for the report) help all of us make the case for effective development programs. But with a report this big, covering this many issues, it’s easy to take “global progress” for granted and miss the point.

The progress we’ve made toward the MDGs is uneven and the most vulnerable populations are being left behind. Missing data and large countries’ progress paints a picture that is more fantasy than reality.

To be fair, the report acknowledges this: “Although many countries have demonstrated that progress is possible, efforts need to be intensified. They must also target the hardest to reach: the poorest of the poor and those disadvantaged because of their sex, age, ethnicity or disability. Disparities in progress between urban and rural areas remain daunting.” Monitoring progress on poverty reduction in particular is plagued by a lack of quality data. Data necessary to make comparisons for all of the MDGs is available in less than half of countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Using the data we do have, how is sub-Saharan Africa doing?

Global poverty rates have fallen because in China and India, the number of people living in extreme poverty since 1990 declined by about 455 million, with an additional 320 million people expected to join them by 2015. While it is estimated that the global poverty rate will fall to 15 percent by 2015, more than a third of those living in sub-Saharan Africa will still live on less than $1.25 a day in 2015.

Sub-Saharan Africa has made the most progress of any region in primary education, mostly because there was so much progress to be made. More than 75 percent of children in sub-Saharan Africa are now enrolled in primary education, but 29 million children are still out of school there.

The highest levels of under-five mortality continue to be found in sub-Saharan Africa, where 1 in
8 children die before the age of 5, around 18 times the average of developed regions. At the same time, four of the 10 countries with more than a 50 percent reduction in child deaths between 1990 and 2009 are in sub-Saharan Africa. Maternal mortality fell by only 26 percent in sub-Saharan Africa between 1990 and 2008, though evidence suggests that progress has picked up speed since 2000. The vast majority of maternal deaths are avoidable with proper medical care, especially during childbirth.

While the HIV incidence rate fell significantly in sub-Saharan Africa, it still remains the most affected region. In 2009, 33.3 million people were living with the virus — a 27 percent increase compared to 1999. While 11 countries have reduced malaria cases and deaths by more than 50 percent, 90 percent of all deaths from malaria still occur in sub-Saharan Africa.

Sub-Saharan Africa nearly doubled the number of people using an improved drinking water source — from 252 million in 1990 to 492 million in 2008. Coverage in that region increased from 49 percent in 1990 to 60 percent in 2008.

Progress in all of these areas is commendable, and in some cases, very encouraging. As more progress is made, however, it will take more and more effort to reach the most vulnerable populations. The MDGs are a critical yardstick, but it’s vital we not lose sight of the trees for the forest. Progress is being made, but we have a lot of work yet to do.

Of the 17 films chosen for this year’s festival, two directly speak to the passions, interests and concerns of the ONE community. “Life, Above All” is a fictional tale that sheds light on HIV/AIDS through the story of Chanda, a girl whose mother is struggling to survive the deadly disease. As her mother’s illness worsens, Chanda’s South African community ostracizes her family and they feel they have no choice but to leave their home. This gripping and sobering tale shows the human story behind the startling statistic that HIV/AIDS complications killed roughly 1.3 million people in 2009 alone.

The other film is “Sing Your Song,” a documentary that portrays the life of Harry Belafonte, a famous singer and political activist. With incredible footage and musical flair, this documentary reminds us of activism before the time of new media. Belafonte worked closely in the American civil rights movement, participated in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa and spoke out against gang violence and youth incarceration.

If you are lucky enough to live in New York, you can attend the film screenings at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. But if you are not a native New Yorker, don’t fret! “Sing Your Song” will be screened on HBO in the fall. And “Life, Above All,” which was featured at Cannes 2010 film festival, is officially premiering in the US on July 15.

Photo courtesy of Human Rights Watch

Typically, the US government buys rice, corn and wheat grown in the US and donates it to the WFP, who then ships it around the world to hungry people. This takes a long time and it sometimes acts as a disincentive for local farmers to produce food.

Purchase for Progress, however, is an innovative WFP program that teaches farmers in the developing world how to grow high quality food in sustainable ways. It then purchases food from those same farmers for use in nearby life-saving emergency food deliveries. ONE’s policy team really likes this program because it helps develop markets in poor countries, along with the skills for farmers to engage with bigger buyers. There is a long-term gain for US farmers and companies too — as economies develop in rural areas in Africa and on other continents, people there will be more likely to purchase American goods.

The program has trained more than 50,000 farmers around the world in production, post-harvest handling, marketing, financing and contracting. It has bought enough food to feed 1.5 million people for six months. We look forward to the expansion of this program and commend the Obama Administration for supporting it and doubling its impact next year.

WFP’s Purchase for Progress program is supported by the governments of Belgium, Canada, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, USA, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Howard G. Buffet Foundation and the European Commission.

Check out the WFP’s video about the impacts of Purchase for Progress in Uganda above.

Data from the 2010 UNAIDS report estimates that 2.6 million people became newly infected with HIV and the number of AIDS-related deaths decreased to 1.8 million in 2009, compared to 3.1 million new infections in 1999 and 2.1 million deaths in 2004. In sub-Saharan Africa, the region most affected by the epidemic, 1.8 million people became newly infected with HIV and 1.3 million AIDS-related deaths occurred in 2009.

By the end of 2009, 33.3 million people globally were living with HIV largely due to improvements in access to treatment. Additionally, from 2001 to 2009, the rate of new HIV infections stabilized or decreased by more than 25 percent in at least 56 countries around the world — including 34 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

While the number of new HIV infections is slowing and access to treatment has improved, there are still two new HIV infections for every one person that starts HIV treatment around the world. Investments in HIV prevention programs have not been adequately funded and represent only about 22 percent of all AIDS-related spending. Also, while some 5.25 million people are now on life-saving antiretroviral therapy, another 10 million are waiting for treatment. And, for some marginalized populations, the wait will be even longer.

Although continued improvements in access to treatment are needed, there has been progress in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV to ensure that no child is born with HIV by 2015. In 2009, 54 percent of pregnant women living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa received antiretroviral drugs to prevent transmission of the virus to their children, up from only 15 percent in 2005.

At the launch of the report, Michel Sidibé, executive director of UNAIDS, said, “We are breaking the trajectory of the AIDS epidemic with bold action and smart choices. Investments in the AIDS response are paying off, but gains are fragile — the challenge now is how we can all work to accelerate progress.”

While we celebrate the progress that has been made, we are mindful that much work remains to be accomplished. Be sure to check the blog next week for a series on HIV/AIDS leading up to World AIDS Day on December 1st.

I seriously can’t believe Thanksgiving is only one week away. I’m usually pretty bad about taking time to reflect and be thankful, but that changed just 13 minutes ago.

13 minutes ago, I hit play on a stop-you-in-your tracks kind of video. It’s longtime ONE supporter Bob Geldof talking before a crowd of folks at the end of the UN Millennium Development Goal Summit in New York City early this September.

I know that doesn’t necessarily sound that exciting, but trust me on this one. It’s a must watch. It’s funny, powerful, hit-you-in-the-gut good. I’ve never seen anyone talk so powerfully about our journey in the fight against poverty — or leave me so inspired to want to do even more.

So, take a look for yourself. It’s a little long, but it’s guaranteed to give you goosebumps. And I’d love to hear what you think after you’ve taken a look. Leave a comment right below!