Using DevInfo to monitor MDGs

Monitoring the Millennium Development Goals in Central and Eastern Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States and Baltic States

By the year 2015, all 191 United Nations Member States have pledged to meet Millennium Development Goals (MDGs):

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
8. Develop a global partnership for development

The global targets, however valid, must be tailored to national circumstances and build into national medium term goals and strategies. This is particularly important in Central and Eastern Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States and Baltic States region where some have made significant social and economic progress and face the prospect of joining the enlarged European Union, while others have experienced steep downtrends in development as a result of transition.

Monitoring MDGs requires a robust monitoring tool. DevInfo has been developed for this purpose by UNICEF on behalf of the UNICED Nations Development Group (UNDG) through a consultative process. The DevInfo technology offers a database tool to organize, disseminate and display data in a results-based environment. Its unique features link indicators to strategic monitoring frameworks such as the MDGs or National Poverty Reduction Strategies.

As a Common platform for indicators related to Human Development, DevInfo facilitates data sharing and indicator harmonization at global, regional and country level by making vital statistics available to a wide audience.