Goal1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger

Since adoption of the MDGs in 2000, acknowledgement has increased of the critical role of decent work for all as an objective of national development and as the best way out of poverty. During the UN World Summit on MDGs held in 2005, world leaders committed themselves to achieving four additional targets to the Millennium Declaration. One of these targets is to “Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people.” In 2008, four indicators were officially included and have to be monitored to identify progress achieved under this target as an integral part of poverty and hunger reduction strategies.

Goal2: Achieve Universal Primary Education

The importance of securing access to primary education for all children – boys and girls – is imperative to improve children’s capabilities, which has a direct impact on improving their lives and future. To assure this objective Syrian policies aim towards enabling universal enrollment for all school-age children, ensuring the ability of all children to complete primary education, and preventing school drop-out for those who have already enrolled

Goal3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women

The concept of empowerment is based on an individual obtaining the power to become an effective participant politically, economically and socially in life. Moreover, it implies the ability to incur positive change in other individuals, groups or a whole community. Attaining women’s empowerment can be achieved by working to remove gender disparities in education, focusing on gender issues, and overcoming traditional gender role stereotyping in economic, social and political life.

Goal4: Reduce Child Mortality

Saving children’s lives and helping them to grow in a healthy manner represents a major Millennium Development Goal. Infant mortality until the age of five is associated with a number of factors, some of which are: maternal health during and after pregnancy; health conditions such as services in urban and rural areas; availability of vaccines at health centres; availability of appropriate medicines including those for HIV/AIDS, etc.; economic conditions such as the level of household poverty which is associated with malnutrition; and social conditions associated with the level of household education and health awareness

Goal6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases

MDG 6 seeks to prevent infectious and sexually transmitted diseases with special attention to extending the awareness and health education especially amongst the youth population (male and female) as they are a high risk group

Goal7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability

Goal 7 is dedicated to achieving sustainable economic and social development by working towards achieving the sustainability of natural and human resources, combating pollution and desertification, and enriching biodiversity.

Goal8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development

Despite consequences of the international financial crisis, that have lingered until the last quarter of 2009 increasing budgetary difficulties faced by developed countries; donors have repeatedly emphasized their commitments and their expectations of continued increases in ODA .