Big hopes for the children of the world: a review of the Millennium Development Goals

The Millennium Development Goals are a set of eight goals drafted by the United Nations in 2000 with the aim of improving the health and welfare of people worldwide. The goals provide specific targets to be met by 2015, using the 1990 basis as a standard. This review presents these goals as they relate to children, discussing progress and future aims. Although not all eight goals specifically address children, each has its own impact on global child health. Thus far, much progress has been made, but increased rates of improvement must be achieved in order to meet the goals by 2015 and improve the health of children worldwide.