The project by the UN Member States called the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) was developed throughout the last decade of the twentieth century and lasted until 2015. It was a set of 8 goals that focused on bringing the lagging part of the world population closer to modern living standards. These goals were considered realistic in terms of achieving and were meant to reduce poverty, inequality, child mortality rates, violence, and disease mortality rates, as well as promote education, care for the environment, and partnership.
By the end of 2015, most of these goals were partially achieved in numerous countries. However, several states did not produce any meaningful results due to the lack of precise statistics. Despite this factor, most of the goals were achieved, at least partially, and the project is considered to be a success. The world experienced the most substantial decrease in poverty, mortality rates in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), as well as the rise of democracy among underdeveloped countries.
These goals served as a foundation for the future development and sustainability of life on the planet. New goals were developed by the United Nations during the 2010s, expanding the idea behind the Millennium Development Goals. The project was named the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and it serves as an expansion of previous goals and is set to be completed by the year 2030. It consists of 17 global goals with a purpose similar to previous ones, except it complements past goals and adds several new ones.
The current focus is on building a sustainable society that equally values not only the prosperity of humankind but also cares about the global environment, equity, and development of the planet as a whole. The project expands the idea of raising the living standards of people by aiming to provide more significant opportunities for each individual and increase global productivity. The support for LMICs is still considered as one of the main goals, but the planet itself is also a target of global development. These goals are supposed to save the momentum of MDGs and use them as a starting point for faster evolution. They acknowledge the interconnectedness of the problems, as countries study and work on them simultaneously. This approach brought some criticism due to overcomplicated design about the simplicity of MDGs, some goals are even considered counteractive to others, yet they are all deemed necessary.
These issues are explainable by progressing views on the world and the conscious behavior of humanity, which became a necessity for the survival of civilization. Unlike MDGs, SDGs promote innovation and partnership, taking into account political issues. They encourage innovation and collaboration, a self-conscious approach to human behavior, and strive to make life affordable to everyone. The project includes a higher number of environment-focused initiatives, as human survival is linked to the preservation of the biosphere.
In conclusion, the completion of this project is necessary for humanity to survive and preserve the planet and life on it. The establishment of world peace, eradication of poverty, inequalities, hunger, and other issues is not a moral decision, but a rational one. This transformation will enable the planet and all of its species to co-exist and evolve in a non-harmful way.