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Millennium Development Goal 1:
Eradicated Extreme Poverty and Hunger
Background
In 2000 at the United Nations Millennium Summit, the United States joined 189 world governments in the commitment to achieve
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a set of eight goals aimed at improving the lives of the world’s poorest by 2015. MDG 1:
Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger aims to halve the number of people living on less than $1.25 per day by 2015. Between 1990
and 2005, significant progress was made – with a reduction of the world’s population living in extreme poverty from 50 to 25
percent. The global economic crisis in 2009 has severely altered the economic landscape, which has equated to stagnation and even
regression in achieving the goal. Due to the crisis, an additional 35 million people have reached extreme levels of poverty – and for
the first time in world history – the number of chronically malnourished reached 1 billion.1
The US’ Role in Achieving MDG 1
The US supports MDG 1 through a variety of government programs designed to promote agricultural development and economic
growth in developing and transitioning economies. The total amount of agricultural assistance from the US Government reached
$1.08 billion in 2009 and has been estimated at $1.39 billion for 2010 – benefiting more than 2 million people and expected to
benefit another 2 million, respectively.2 Additionally, agricultural assistance from the US increased the value of international exports
of targeted agricultural commodities by an average of 70.4 percent in 2009, effectively increasing the income of the poorest
farmers.3 To help secure long‐term food needs, the US provided agricultural assistance to promote agricultural trade and market
systems to facilitate the integration of farmers into the full chain of production, and broaden application of scientific and
technological advances to lift productivity. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of Food for Peace (FFP),
provided approximately 2.4 million metric tons of food, valued at approximately $2.2 billion, benefiting the most food insecure
people in 44 countries in 2009.4
In February 2009, Senators Richard Lugar (R‐IN) and Bob Casey (D‐PA) reintroduced the Lugar Casey Global Food Security Act, which
calls for: the creation of a Special Coordinator for Global Food Security to develop a food security strategy; the reorientation of US
foreign aid toward rural development and agriculture; and an improvement in the US emergency response to food crises by creating
a separate Emergency Food Assistance Fund that can make local and regional purchases of food. That April, President Barack Obama
announced a doubling of assistance for global agricultural productivity and rural development and called for a comprehensive food
security strategy. By May, President Obama released Feed the Future, the US Government’s food security and agricultural
development assistance program. Congress has approved the President’s request of $1.3 billion to fund this initiative in 2011.
What Can You Do to Help Achieve MDG 1?
You and your community play a vital role in helping the poorest countries break the cycle of extreme poverty. Action can be taken to
raise awareness of the MDGs and press the US government to fulfill its commitment to food security and agriculture assistance.
Encourage your friends, colleagues and family to reach out to their members of Congress to raise awareness of the MDGs. Consider
participating in member organizations that work to make extreme poverty an issue of the past. There are a number of organizations
– local, national and internationally based – that work on issues related to poverty, hunger, food security and agriculture initiatives.
Every year, the United Nations Millennium Campaign holds a Stand Up, Take Action weekend offering a unique opportunity for
citizens around the world to come together to voice their support of the MDGs and demand that leaders take action to fulfill their
commitments to the world’s poorest! Join the millions who refuse to stay seated or silent in the face of poverty. To learn more
about how you and your community can participate, visit www.standagainstpoverty.org.
1
United Nations, The Millennium Development Goals Report 2009, (New York: United Nations, 2009).
2
Ibid, 328
3
United States Department of State, USAID, Joint Summary of Performance and Financial Information of Fiscal Year 2009 (Washington D.C.: USDS, USAID, 2010), 41
4
USAID, The Congressional Budget Justification (CBJ) for Foreign Operations (Volume II)—FY 2009 Foreign Operations Performance Report and FY 2011 Performance
Plan
The Eight Millennium Development Goals
www.endpoverty2015.org and www.standagainstpoverty.org