Global Poverty and Hunger: An Assessment of Millennium Development Goal #1

A considerable number of people worldwide live in conditions of dire poverty. The United Nations Millennium Development Goals are a global policy initiative undertaken to address vulnerability by setting benchmarks for United Nations member-states to follow. This article focuses specifically on Millennium Development Goal #1, which targets poverty and hunger. Using a systematic review of the literature, the authors examine progress, or lack thereof, that regions have made toward the goal. Four case studies are used: Colombia, Indonesia, Jamaica, and Uganda. Policy recommendations are provided to facilitate realization of Millennium Development Goal #1.