A glass half-full

Is Egypt on the right track towards meetings its international Millennium Development Goals, asks Mona El-Fiqi Half-way between the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000 as a framework for spurring development by over 190 countries in 10 regions, and target date 2015, Egypt has taken significant steps towards meeting its international commitments. However, some areas remain to be addressed. Eight issues are at the core of the MDGs. They include the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger; achieving universal primary education; promoting gender equality and empower women; reducing child mortality; improving maternal health; combating HIV/ AIDS, malaria and other major diseases; ensuring environmental sustainability; and developing a global partnership for development. "The MDGs are in fact more than... [read full story]