The Millennium Development Goals are eight international development goals established following the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000. All 189 member states of the United Nations at the time and at least 23 international organizations committed to contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. The aim of the Millennium Development Goals is to encourage economic and social development in all countries, in particular the least economically developed ones. To date, progress towards the goals has been uneven. Meanwhile, some countries, like Brazil, have achieved many goals, while others, like Benin, are not on track to achieve any. As a result, most LEDCs, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa, will fail to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. Arguably, this can be attributed to the fact that the goals are not overly ambitious and unrealistic in themselves. , but it is rather the fifteen year time frame that is the unrealistic aspect of the objectives. Even with greater efforts, it can be argued that a much longer time frame is needed to achieve the goals, especially those related to poverty, education and health. The first Millennium Development Goal is the elimination of extreme poverty and hunger. With specific reference to poverty, all regions recorded a decline in absolute poverty, with the exception of West Africa. However, apart from the Southeast Asia and East Asia regions, no region has actually achieved the Millennium Development Goal. The explanation for the sharp decrease in poverty in Asia is due to the great success of countries such as China, India, Singapore, South Korea, Vietnam and Indonesia. Across all countries...middle of paper...areas affected, but this progress has been uneven, with some countries reaching targets quickly, some countries on track to reach them, and other countries not meeting the target at all . There will certainly be a time when the world will achieve these goals if more aid and money are distributed efficiently among developing countries. Ultimately, the goals are unrealistic in the sense that they should have been achieved by 2015. This was simply impractical as natural disasters, climate change and the global financial crisis have all threatened progress. Not only that, but the foreign debt that afflicts many developing countries has blocked development and progress. That said, it is important that governments stick to their commitments, even if they are not achieved by 2015, and work to achieve them over the next decade..