PRESENTER: In the year 2000, leaders from 189 countries agreed on a vision for the new millennium. They wanted to end extreme poverty in all of its forms. So they made a list of eight goals called the Millennium Development Goals. And they wanted to achieve these goals in 15 years.
One of the leading organizations working to fulfill these goals has been the United Nations Development Program, or UNDP. We're present in more than 170 countries and territories.
We championed the goals so that people everywhere would know what they were and how people could do their part. We funded projects that helped fulfill the goals. We helped countries accelerate NDG progress by breaking down the silos and working across sectors. We acted as scorekeeper, helping countries to track progress.
As a result, the number of people that live on less than $1.25 per day has dropped by more than half. The number of primary school age kids who don't go to school down by almost half. The number of people getting life saving treatment for HIV increased by over 15 times. Child mortality down by almost half.
As much progress as we've made together, there's still a lot more to do. Over 800 million people are still living on less than $1.25 a day. One in nine people on our planet goes to sleep hungry each night. Deforestation remains alarmingly high in many countries. Oceans are becoming more acidic, threatening food security and marine ecosystems. And about one of every six adults in the world is illiterate. 2/3 of them are women.
We think those are tough numbers, and so do leaders from the countries where we work. So in September 2015, they agreed on a new set of goals to help finish the work we all started in 2000. The new goals are called the Stable Development Goals, or SDGs.
We have made significant progress in the last 15 years, and we think there's plenty of room for hope, for action in the next 15 years. Today, the world is more connected by technology. We know more about how to balance the three pillars of sustainable development, social progress, economic growth, and environmental protection.
However, our climate is changing. Our planet is transforming. And there are more people on earth than ever before. We at UNDP believe everyone can have enough of what they need living within our planetary boundaries, and we are working around the world to make this happen.
Our goals to reach by 2030 are to eradicate extreme poverty, protect our environment, and much more. UNDP has 50 years of experience working with countries to make this a more prosperous, healthy, inclusive, and sustainable world. Join us.