Millennium Development Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality

Achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Together

In 2000 at the United Nations Millennium Summit, the United States joined 189 world governments in the commitment to
achieve the MDGs, a set of 8 goals aimed at improving the lives of the world’s poorest by 2015.

The target of MDG 3: Promoting Gender Equality and Empowering Women is to eliminate gender disparity in primary and
secondary education by 2005 and in all levels of education by 2015. In addition, MDG 3 aims to increase both the share of
women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector and the proportion of seats held by women in national parliament.
Poverty disproportionately affects women, who represent 70 percent of the world’s poor and the current financial crisis is
likely to affect women particularly severely.1 According to estimates, of the 771 million illiterate adults worldwide, 64 percent
are women.2

In 2009, the US government reaffirmed that the MDGs are “America’s goals.” More specifically, the Millennium Challenge
Corporation (MCC), a US government agency, created a policy requiring that gender be integrated into all stages of MCC
processes, from the selection of eligible countries to the monitoring and evaluation of program results and impacts. Data has
shown, however, that gender equality is not a US policy and spending priority, which greatly reduces the likelihood of
achieving Goal 3.3

Where Success Has Been Achieved

Many countries, including low income and lower middle income countries such as Bhutan, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Guinea, India,
Senegal and Yemen, have made impressive strides on the path towards parity in primary education. Fewer countries have
managed to increase girls’ participation at both the primary and secondary level at the same pace, but success stories do exist.
Bangladesh’s achievement of gender parity in both primary and secondary education even before 2005, despite the country’s
poverty and vulnerability to natural disasters, has been acknowledged world-wide. Starting from a very low gender parity
index in primary education (0.35) in 1980s, the country closed the gender gap in education within a decade.

What Can You Do?

You and your community play a vital role in the fight against poverty and hunger. Action can be taken to raise awareness of
the MDGs and press the US government to fulfill its commitment to end poverty by 2015. For example, send letters to your
local, regional and/or national representative expressing concern regarding the US’ progress in achieving the MDGs. In
addition, you can join the global movement of over 173 million people who refuse to stay seated or silent in the face of
poverty by participating in STAND UP, TAKE ACTION: Make a Noise for the MDGs taking place from Friday, September 17 –
Sunday, September 19, 2010. Past events include rallies highlighting poverty and social injustices and concert performances.
For more information on how you can participate in Stand Up, please visit www.standagainstpoverty.org.

1
United Nations Development Fund for Women (www.unifem.org)
2
Oxfam International, www.oxfam.org
3
InterAction, The United States and the MDGS, (Washington, DC: InterAction, 2007).

The 8 Millennium Development Goals

www.standagainstpoverty.org and www.endpoverty2015.org