Attainment of the MDGs and implementation of NEPAD in North African countries: progress and prospects

Abstract

The problems of economic development were identified by the international community in the framework of the Millennium Declaration, adopted in September 2000 by 147 heads of state and government. The declaration contains goals labeled ‘Millennium Development Goals’ (MDGs) which cover most of the international development goals (IDGs) identified at world conferences and summits held during the 1990s.1 The eight MDGs have been generally accepted as a reference for measuring development progress. They are accompanied by numbered targets to be attained over a period of 25 years, between 19902 and 2015, with appropriate indicators to evaluate the progress achieved in each domain. The first seven goals are mutually reinforcing and are aimed at reducing all forms of poverty. The last goal – global partnership for development – deals with the means for achieving the first seven.