Ingenieur July-Sept 2016 Ingenieur July-Sept 2016 | Page 53

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS THAT INVOLVE ENGINEERS T he year of 2016 is significant as it marks the end of the UN declared Millennium Development Goals 2015 (MDG) and the beginning of the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 (SDG). Compared with MDG’s eight goals, SDG has 17 goals. Many of these goals and implementation plans involve engineering works to achieve their objectives. The engineering fraternity should have a general of view of the achievements of MDG and what is in store with SDG where their contributions will be appreciated. MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS In September 2000, building upon a decade of major United Nations conferences and summits, world leaders came together at the United Nations REPORT By Lee Hon Boon Headquarters in New York to adopt the  United Nations Millennium Declaration. The Declaration committed nations to a new global partnership to reduce extreme poverty, and set out a series of eight time-bound targets - with a deadline of 2015 - that have become known as the Millennium Development Goals. The eight MDG Goals are: ●● Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; ●● Achieve universal primary education; ●● Promote gender equality and empower women; ●● Reduce child mortality; ●● Improve maternal health; ●● Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ●● Ensure environmental sustainability; and ●● Develop a global par tnership for development. 51