Institute of Development Studies

Left out and left behind: the people that the MDGs are failing

3 September 2010

A new report published today by IDS and the MDG Achievement Fund on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) argues that despite gains made by world leaders in delivering their promises to tackle global poverty, the measurements used to calculate countries' performance disguises a picture of uneven achievement that is characterised by deep disparities between different social groups.

In every country in every region, people are being excluded from the opportunity to play an active role in social and economic development on the mere basis of their race, ethnicity, religion, gender and, often, location. The report renews the call for social justice made by the Millennium Declaration in 2000 and says that the MDGs cannot be sustained without promoting equity and tackling the root causes of social exclusion.

In this podcast, the report's author, Professor Naila Kabeer talks about the report and calls on leaders meeting at the MDG Summit later this month to put the issue of social exclusion and inequality firmly at the centre of the fight against poverty and all efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

Related Publications

• Kabeer, N. (2010) 'Can the MDGs provide a pathway to social justice? The challenges of intersecting inequalities' , Brighton: IDS