United Nations Millennium Development Goals Research Articles

Shushing the press shortens lives: cross-national evidence of the impact of press freedom on life expectancy.

Press freedom around the globe has deteriorated over the past decade, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper explores the effect of press freedom, as a cornerstone of democracy, on life expectancy. Exploring cross-country data, we use the ordinary least square method to estimate the association between press freedom and life expectancy. In addition, we adopt three novel instrumental variables to explore the causal relationship. Our estimations indicate that a freer press leads to higher life expectancy, and the effect exists independently of the level of democracy. In addition, the effect of continuous exposure to press freedom is stronger than sporadic free press status. The results are robust to measurement errors, influential outliers, and country-specific heterogeneity. This study reveals the fundamental role of press freedom in promoting public health that was previously underexplored. Therefore, enhancing freedom of expression can be an effective tool to address three of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, that is, reduce under-five mortality, improve maternal health, and combat HIV/AIDS.JEL:I1 H7 D02.

Musculoskeletal involvement in neglected tropical diseases: a comprehensive review.

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) encompass a group of diseases predominantly found in tropical regions, with origins dating back to their inclusion in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals in 2000. This initiative aimed to raise awareness and global funding to combat these diseases, which thrive in areas with limited sanitation, healthcare, and education. NTDs are caused by various pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses and affect over two billion individuals in resource-poor communities, leading to preventable deaths and devastating consequences. While the musculoskeletal system is only occasionally affected, the resulting chronic disabilities prevent individuals from working, posing a significant socioeconomic burden in this region of the world. Some NTDs exhibit distinct imaging features, and radiologists need to be aware of these characteristics to facilitate early treatment. In this review, we delve into musculoskeletal NTDs, focusing on clinical features and imaging findings, differential diagnosis, and clinical management.

The importance of education innovation and degree of innovative practices by principals in rural secondary schools in South Africa

After the inception of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000, education emerged as a pivotal concern on the global agenda. The significance of education innovation lies in its ability to enhance the caliber of instruction and bolster school performance. In spite of the various obstacles faced by rural schools in South Africa, certain institutions are exhibiting indications of exceptional performance and advancement in terms of educational innovations, the provision of high-quality education, and the academic achievements of their students. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of principals' comprehension of the significance of educational innovation and their level of implementation of innovative practices on student achievement. The research employed a descriptive case study approach inside a quantitative research framework. A sample size of 108 secondary school principals in the Vhembe District, located in the Limpopo Province, was obtained through the utilization of random sampling procedures. Data collection was conducted through the utilization of questionnaires, while the analysis of the collected data was performed using descriptive statistical techniques. A total of 70 questionnaires were collected and deemed usable, resulting in a response rate of 64.8% for the study. The outcomes of the study indicate that principals within the Vhembe district had a comprehensive understanding of the imperative nature of educational innovation. Additionally, the research revealed that principals are utilizing many new leadership and management approaches in order to improve student achievement. This project aims to contribute to the enhancement of learner performance and the quality of education in secondary schools located in rural parts of South Africa through the promotion of educational innovation. The recommendations of the study hold potential value in the development of policies, the improvement of learner performance, and the provision of education of superior quality.

Theorizing ‘The Gap’ Twenty Years Later: Global Development, Design, and Speculative Ethics in Edtech Research

AbstractDrawing from Feminist Science and Technology Studies, this paper explores how we might revisit and recuperate past academic research projects, theories, and relationships to design futures that matter for social good. As context, I begin by outlining a decade of research in Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICTD), which linked the United Nations Millennium Development Goals to innovations in telecommunications and computing. I then introduce the ‘theory of design-reality gaps’ that was proposed by Heeks to study ’wicked problems’ in this domain (2002). I revisit two strands of research that I carried out in relation to the ‘design-reality gap’. The first involved an ethnographic study of a participatory mobile phone based learning intervention for Kenyan health workers. I argued that instead of a singular ‘gap’ explained by geographic, sociocultural, or economic ‘divides’, there was a messy entanglement, constituted by sociomaterial practices that enacted a multiplicity (Mol in The body multiple: Ontology in medical practice, Duke University Press, 2002) of desired futures. In the second strand, I attempted to care for the practices that were abandoned by the learning intervention when one kind of justice was prioritized over others. This explored how the research could be more ‘speculative’ and how this ‘speculative commitment’ could generate new ethical questions and logics for living with technology (Puig de la Bellacasa in Social Studies of Science, 41(1), 85–106, 2011 and Matters of care: Speculative ethics in more than human worlds, University of Minnesota Press, 2017). I argue that approaching the design-reality ‘gap’ as a multiplicity instead of a void can support Tuck’s call for educational interventions that turn away from damage oriented theories of change to ones based on desire – approaching difference not as a lack, but as an ever-growing assemblage (2009). Tinkering with the original Heeks model, I conclude that in the postdigital era, the design-reality gap is now better-understood as a fluid space of multiplicities, and what is arguably most pressing is to study the differences in competing objectives and values, rather than disparities in information and technology.

Analysis and Enlightenment of the Reasons for Why China Can Get Rid of the Poverty Trap

In 2020, China successfully won the Tough Battle Against Poverty, and eliminated all absolute poverty in the society. China becomes the first developing country that completes the poverty reduction goal of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, and makes great contributions to the world poverty reduction. Most importantly, China escaped the Poverty Trap. According to the comparison between China and other countries that fall into the Poverty Trap, it is found that the environment for technological development, the potential economic growth, and the role of becoming the fourth "world factory" and the fourth international industrial transfer are all one of the factors that China can get out of the Poverty Trap. These factors ensure that Chinese economy can grow rapidly and also explain why China can avoid the Poverty Trap. Therefore, China should continue to vigorously develop its economy and technology to prevent poor households from returning to poverty and eliminate relatively poor populations.

IMPLEMENTATION OF STATE PROGRAMS ON PROVISION OF DRINKING WATER UNDER UN PROGRAMS

The article discusses the United Nations (UN) Millennium Development Goals and the Sustainable Development Program to ensure safe and affordable drinking water for all and effectively address water problems. Also analyzed the state programs of the Republic of Kazakhstan adopted within the UN programs and it is results.

Targeting Factors of Ecotax Based on Cradle-to-Grave of Carbon Footprint for SELECT Criteria Mechanism of Decision Process Using Waste-to-Energy Technology

Every drug product, with its apparent patent and trademark from European Patent Commission (EPC), must exhibit its safety utilization starting from its ecological cultivation up to its warranty disposal back to the environment termed as Life Cycle Assessment of drugs. Climate change may be influenced and worsened by several determinants in which pharmaceutical sector may play a big role to environmental pollution and may eventually lead to risks of developing health problems due to environmental toxicities. Therefore, there is a crucial need for remediating drug wastes into renewable energies as corporate responsibility of environmental taxation for the advocacy of Sustainable Development as promoted and regulated by Kyoto Protocol of United Nations Millennium Development Goals of economic prosperity and safety of the public. This paper aims to delineate the waste to energy technology functions for addressing its problems and concerns in carbon tax such as the quantity of renewable power percentage, the amount of greenhouse gases of climate change and its environmental pollutants from waste disposal of expired and used drugs, the prevalence of morbidity and mortality rates in relation to environmental exposure to hazardous substances, and its relative monetary progress and success. Kinetic modelling of equations and its MATLAB simulation code is important for application of waste to energy technology for Sustainable Development. Therefore, delineation of carbon tax in kinetic modelling is quite necessary in resolving issues in economy, society, and environment as exhibited in SELECT criteria mechanism of decision making.

Indian Muslims’ Socio-Political and Economic Challenges in the Globalised World

India is a multi-religious and multiethnic society, the rise of Hindutva in the country’s politics has polarised it in an unprecedented way. The state’s inclination towards Hindutva is evident from the plight of Indian Muslims, who constitute one of the largest minority communities anywhere in the world. In today’s globalised world, analysing Muslim minority’s socio-economic conditions is imperative especially in the context of the United Nations Millennium and Sustainable Development Goals. This paper primarily examines the post-globalisation socio-economic and political status of the Muslim minority in India. The study focuses on the changing social and political dynamic of Indian society and repercussions for Muslims under the BJP’s government. The findings bring forward an alarming situation by highlighting that Muslims minority in India is systematically deprived and by implication, lagging behind vis-à-vis other communities in a state that claims to abide by liberal, secular and democratic norms. Economic and political deprivation, communal riots, prevailing illiteracy, poor health and social conditions are the main characteristics of the Muslim community of India.

Marketing's Role in Promoting the Common Good: A Systematic Examination and an Agenda for Future Inquiry

The pursuit of the common good is an important endeavor in business and marketing. The benefits of this pursuit to society are reflected in the increasing number of journal special issues dedicated to common good–related research and the recent observation that the marketing discipline is supportive of business research as a catalyst for positive change. Despite its importance, little is known about the nature of the common good within marketing scholarship. This article presents a systematic, multimethod inquiry to assess the representation and impact of the common good, with a focus on equity. The authors analyze publications in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing and marketing journals on the Financial Times 50 list. This work acknowledges the significant influence of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals on global policy and the benefits to people around the world. It also responds to the call for marketing scholars to pay more attention to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The authors use insights from their inquiry to identify a promising agenda for future research that contributes to the promotion of the common good in relation to eradicating poverty, improving health, achieving universal education, and promoting gender equality.

The United Nations millennium development and post-2015 sustainable development goals: Towards long-term social change and social stability An Introduction

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Targeting factors of ecotax based on life cycle assessment for select criteria mechanism using waste to energy technology of environmental law and its enforcing regulations

Every drug product, with its apparent patent and trademark from European Patent Commission (EPC), must exhibit its safety utilization starting from its ecological cultivation up to its warranty disposal back to the environment termed as Life Cycle Assessment of drugs. Climate change may be influenced and worsened by several determinants in which pharmaceutical sector may play a big role to environmental pollution and may eventually lead to risks of developing health problems due to environmental toxicities. Therefore, there is a crucial need for remediating drug wastes into renewable energies as corporate responsibility of environmental taxation for the advocacy of Sustainable Development as promoted and regulated by Kyoto Protocol of United Nations Millennium Development Goals of economic prosperity and safety of the public. This paper aims to delineate the waste to energy technology functions for addressing its problems and concerns in carbon tax such as the quantity of renewable power percentage, the amount of greenhouse gases of climate change and its environmental pollutants from waste disposal of expired and used drugs, the prevalence of morbidity and mortality rates in relation to environmental exposure to hazardous substances, and its relative monetary progress and success. Kinetic modelling of equations and its MATLAB simulation code is important for application of waste to energy technology for Sustainable Development. Therefore, delineation of carbon tax in kinetic modelling is quite necessary in resolving issues in economy, society, and environment as exhibited in SELECT criteria mechanism of decision making.

The Forthright Political Stance of Sport for Development in Korean Official Development Assistance

The rapid growth of Sport for Development (SFD) policies, practices, and organizations over the past two decades has been widely studied. However, by far the preponderance of attention has been focused on SFD initiatives and analyses concentrated in traditional Western donor states, where they have been characterized by a focus on social development objectives and civil society-led modalities. By contrast, SFD efforts emanating from non-Western countries have been relatively neglected. This paper contributes to correcting this imbalance by focusing on the important and distinctive Korean approach to SFD within its growing Official Development Assistance (ODA) programmes. In contrast to mainstream Western SFD, Korean SFD has been forthrightly oriented towards support for top-down, state-based objectives. Moreover, it has reflected a distinct hybrid character, blending a superficial prioritization of global social development norms exemplified by the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals with strong and persistent characteristics of the Korean developmental state in its approach to sport.

The Impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) on Health Outcomes: A Mediating Effect Analysis Based on Cross-National Panel Data.

When ICTs (Information and Communications Technologies) are combined with healthcare, they can make a key contribution to gradually improve national health outcomes. The global outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 further highlighted the important role of e-Health and m-Health service modes. This research structures a mediated effect model to explore dynamic relationships between ICT factors, ICT impacts, and national health outcomes, among which ICT factors are independent variables; ICT impacts are mediating variables, and national health outcome indicators selected from United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and World Development Indicators are dependent variables. The fixed effect model is used to process a set of 141 countries' panel data from 2012 to 2016 from World Bank and World Economic Forum, while the classical three-step test method and Sobel test combined with fixed effects are used to test the mediated effects of the panel data. The results show that there are significant associations between ICT factors and national health outcome indicators, while only some of the partial mediated effects are proved. ICT environment and ICT usage can influence both the under-five mortality rate and adolescent fertility rate via ICT social impact. However, the mediated effect of ICT social impact on maternal mortality ratio and life expectancy at birth has not been confirmed. Meanwhile, the mediated effect of ICT economic impact has not been proven. This research is an interdisciplinary research in the field of information and communication technology and public health and reveals the path and mechanism whereby ICT factors improve national health outcomes, which can help global policymakers drive the next phase of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and continue to improve the overall health at the national level.

Rights-Based Education Programming: A Complimentary Approach for Addressing Poverty, Education Inequality, and Development in Zimbabwe

The United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of 2015 sought to eradicate major problems facing the globe. Member states ratifying these goals were tasked to formulate and institute policies aimed at addressing the global economic, political, social, and environmental challenges. Three major goals sought to address fundamental issues on poverty, universal education, and gender equality. The MDGs were succeeded by the Sustainable Development Goals which are targeted to be achieved by 2030. The intersectionality of the development goals and Education cannot be underestimated. Education has been identified as a key strategy for addressing poverty, hunger, and gender equality. Although several countries ratified the MDGs, most did not achieve the goals by 2015. A shift in policy is necessary to close the achievement gap and to help the efforts for achieving the 2030 SDGs. This paper addresses Zimbabwe’s progress towards the SDGs. Progress on key indicators of quality education, poverty, and inequality of opportunities is presented. Finally, the paper suggests a rights-based education programming framework to help accelerate achievement of the SDGs.

The UN MDGs in Indonesia: Analyzing Its Failure in Eradicating Poverty in Indonesia

The United Nations (UN) Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), an international development movement oriented towards human welfare and global poverty eradication with measurable goals and targets, had hit the deadline by 2015. Its implementation reaped various contestations and claims regarding its success and failures in eradicating poverty in Indonesia. The Indonesian government claimed to have succeeded (on the track) in meeting the MDGs targets in eradicating poverty by reducing half of the number of Indonesians who earn one dollar per day (purchasing power parity/PPP) for the period 1990-2015. Meanwhile, the reality on the ground showed the contrast. Many Indonesian people lived in poverty and had minimal access to public health and education facilities. UNESCAP reported that Indonesia was one of the countries in the Asia Pacific region, which was alarming to achieve the MDGs. Based on such contradictions regarding the MDGs' poverty eradication mission in Indonesia, this article aims to examine why the MDGs program had not been able to overcome the problem of poverty in Indonesia? This article employs norm life cycle (dynamics) theory to investigate the problem behind UN MDGs' inability to overcome poverty in Indonesia. UN MDGs were considered a global norm in this article, substantiating the poverty eradication mission. Using the norm life cycle theory theorizing the three stages of norm development, starting from norm emergence, cascade, and internalization, this article reviews and investigates how Indonesia had dealt and performed in each of those norm life cycle stages within the framework of global poverty eradication norm. Based on the theoretical approach used, this article argues that the inability of UN MDGs to resolve poverty in Indonesia was due to the excessive use of statistical and quantitative basis of poverty eradication efforts rather than a more qualitative and welfare building approaches. Moreover, a systemic problem existed upon MDGs' coordination and implementation on the Indonesian government and donor countries/institutions. It included the lack of commitment to official development aid (ODA) realization, renegotiation and elimination of Indonesia's foreign debt, and rampant corruption in the national development and poverty eradication funds.

Physical Activity & The Sustainable Development Goals

With the worldwide rise in noncommunicable disease, physical inactivity, obesity, and the global presence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), health and sport science practitioners must be able to address each of these health domains while considering frameworks for the most urgent health and human development priorities in a sustainable manner. The sector of sport for development, which uses physical activity, sport, and game-based programming to address specific development and peace initiatives to empower individuals and communities, is one such approach that practitioners can employ to address such challenges. During the 2000-2015 era of the United Nations (UN) Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the sport for development sector used sport to address several MDGs, contributing most significantly towards improving HIV/AIDS knowledge, attitudes, and behavior changes. Practitioners are still using sport to address the 2015-2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This article explores case studies of 17 sport for development initiatives that are meeting key targets for each of the 17 SDGs. Furthermore, it provides recommendations for how to further advance sport for development’s contributions. By synthesizing cost effective analyses and discussing key components to further the sport for development field, this article maps a way forward to advance sport for development as a cost-effective and viable tool for addressing the SDGs, reducing the effects of unresolved ACEs, and promoting physical activity to help individuals and communities lead healthy, empowered lives.

Evolution of the EU development policy - from altruism to the interest instrumentalism and beyond

The article examines the evolution of the European Union (EU) development policy, from the United Nations Millennium development goals (MDGs) and, first-ever, global attempt to end poverty, to the present day. It first gives an overview of the literature, noting it is heavily focused on the solidarity-instrumentalism dichotomy, then follows with analysis on how have major global crises, notably, climate crisis, Covid-19 pandemic, and Ukraine crisis, affected and shaped the EU development policy and its evolution. Based on that analysis and the literature, the article summarizes several categories of the factors that have influenced the EU development policy and concludes that the research must go beyond the solidarity-instrumentalism dichotomy and develop more encompassing research tools, to be able to grasp increasing complexities of the development policymaking in the contemporary world. A more appropriate analytical frame should focus on the dual role of the EU development policy, which serves as a bridge between foreign and domestic EU policy, and on its integration with other policies, especially climate, health, and peace.

Targeting Factors of Ecotax Based on Life Cycle Assessment for Select Criteria Mechanism using waste to Energy Technology of Environmental Law and its Enforcing Regulations

Every drug product, with its apparent patent and trademark from European Patent Commission (EPC), must exhibit its safety utilization starting from its ecological cultivation up to its warranty disposal back to the environment termed as Life Cycle Assessment of drugs. Climate change may be influenced and worsened by several determinants in which pharmaceutical sector may play a big role to environmental pollution and may eventually lead to risks of developing health problems due to environmental toxicities. Therefore, there is a crucial need for remediating drug wastes into renewable energies as corporate responsibility of environmental taxation for the advocacy of Sustainable Development as promoted and regulated by Kyoto Protocol of United Nations Millennium Development Goals of economic prosperity and safety of the public. This paper aims to delineate the waste to energy technology functions for addressing its problems and concerns in carbon tax such as the quantity of renewable power percentage, the amount of greenhouse gases of climate change and its environmental pollutants from waste disposal of expired and used drugs, the prevalence of morbidity and mortality rates in relation to environmental exposure to hazardous substances, and its relative monetary progress and success. Kinetic modelling of equations and its MATLAB simulation code is important for application of waste to energy technology for Sustainable Development. Therefore, delineation of carbon tax in kinetic modelling is quite necessary in resolving issues in economy, society, and environment as exhibited in SELECT criteria mechanism of decision making.

The ICN Global Nursing Leadership Institute: Integrating the SDGs into Leadership and Policy Development.

This article is one in a series in which contributing authors discuss how the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are linked to everyday clinical issues; national public health emergencies; and other nursing issues, such as leadership, shared governance, and advocacy. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a 15-year plan of action to achieve the goals, was unanimously adopted by all UN member states in September 2015 and took effect on January 1, 2016. The Agenda consists of 17 SDGs addressing social, economic, and environmental determinants of health and 169 associated targets focused on five themes: people, planet, peace, prosperity, and partnership. The SDGs build on the work of the UN Millennium Development Goals, which were in effect from 2000 to 2015. The current article discusses the International Council of Nurses Global Nursing Leadership Institute and its integration of the SDGs into a global leadership and policy development program.

Gender gap in the impact of social capital on household food security in Zimbabwe: does spatial proximity matter?

Despite the numerous strides that have been made towards ensuring food security since the launch of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the gap between the rich and poor across and within countries is still worryingly too large. Around 57.7% of the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) population is food insecure compared to 26.4% of the world population. It is therefore necessary to make concerted efforts to improve food security in Sub-Saharan Africa and the rest of the developing world particularly among the poorest and most vulnerable groups. This paper employs propensity score matching analysis to explore gender heterogeneity in the impact of bonding and bridging social capital on household food security on the basis of a nationally representative sample of Zimbabwean households. It offers five major findings. First, female headed households are more likely to have bonding social capital than their male counterparts. Second, there are no gender differences in the household’s ability to possess bridging social capital. Third, household spatial proximity to households with social capital improves the probability of the household possessing social capital. Fourth, both bonding and bridging social capital improves household food security. Finally, female headed households are more able to increase food security than those headed by males when they have both bonding and bridging social capital. The study argues that coping strategies should target putting the family at the core of inclusive development agendas such as food and nutrition assistance programmes in order to maximise the likelihood of easing food insecurity within communities.