It’s been nearly 15 years since U.N. member states agreed on a set of goals and targets for reducing poverty and inequality around the world — yet despite reflecting a bold vision, these Millennium Development Goals were virtually unknown on Capitol Hill, and largely ignored by the few who had heard of them.
By the time of the 10-year review, as efforts to modernize and reform the U.S. foreign assistance system were underway, the MDGs were regarded as something of a dirty word in certain political quarters, suspected of symbolizing a liberal plot to increase aid and give foreign countries more of a say over how to spend it.
Today, as the world assesses the impact of the MDGs and considers next steps, Congress remains largely unaware of the extraordinary advances that have been made because of the MDGs and the valuable lessons learned in the process. However, its support will be needed to undertake a new round of commitments — at home and abroad — in order to consolidate these gains and finish the task.
About the author
Diana Ohlbaum@dohlbaum
Ohlbaum is an independent consultant, an executive committee member of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network and a principal of Turner4D, a strategic communications firm. She has served as senior associate with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a senior professional staff member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and a deputy director of the U.S. Agency for International Development's Office of Transition Initiatives.
