World Bank Atlas 2002.

At the Millennium Summit in September 2000 the states of the United Nations reaffirmed their commitment to working toward a world in which sustaining development and eliminating poverty would have the highest priority. The Millennium Development Goals, which grew out of the agreements and resolutions of world conferences organized by the United Nations in the past decade, have been commonly accepted as a framework for measuring development progress. The goals focus the efforts of the world community on achieving significant, measurable improvements in people’s lives. They establish yardsticks for measuring results, not just for developing countries but for the rich countries that help to fund development programs and for the multilateral institutions that help countries implement them.