MDG#7 Ensure environmental sustainability

Our natural environment is the unequivocal basis of human survival. It is the foundation for all economic and, more importantly, human development. However, poorly managed economic development that has resulted in widespread pollution, land erosion and deforestation endangers the future of our natural resources - and our very survival. Because the environment provides the raw materials vital to sustaining human development, we must ensure that, in turn, international development policies work to preserve our natural environment.

Goal 7 calls for upholding the principles of sustainable development and systematically integrating them into country policies and programs. It also mandates reversing and replenishing the loss of environmental resources. This seeks to reduce by half the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water and to achieve significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by 2020.

Targets:

• Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs and reverse the losses of environmental resources.
• By 2015, reduce by half the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water.
• By 2020, achieve significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers.