The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted by world leaders at the U.N. Millennium Summit in September 2000 set targets to be achieved by 2015 in order to reduce poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation and gender discrimination. The United Nations Secretary General and the Administrator of the UNDP launched The Millennium Project directed by Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General to recommend strategies to achieve the MDGs. Ten Task Forces lead the Project’s research effort focusing on identifying priority actions and the institutional and financial measures required for their implementation.

Associate Director Mona Serageldin is a member of the Task Force 8 on improving the lives of 100 million Slum Dwellers by 2020. She prepared a background paper for the Task Force on “Local Authority driven interventions to improve the lives of slum dwellers”. Elda Solloso and Luis Valenzuela worked with her on the review and documentation of fifty best practices worldwide. The paper highlighted the key features underlying their success namely partnerships, strategic priorities, multi-sectoral action plans and focused programs targeting marginalized areas and vulnerable populations. A condensed version of the paper entitled “Building successful partnerships” is presented as Chapter 2 of the Task Force Interim Report submitted to the UN Secretary General in February 2004. Professor Serageldin attended the first Task Force meeting at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the Spring meeting held in São Paulo in April 7-10, 2003 and Fall meeting held in Nairobi in October 29- November 1, 2003 and the Spring meeting at the UN Headquarters in New York (April 22-23)

Following the last Task Force meeting, Mona Serageldin attended the sessions focusing on human settlements and the environment during the meetings of the UN 12th Commission on Sustainable Development at UN Headquarters. She spoke to members of the NGO Habitat Watch on our work on task force 8 and the contribution to the habitat agenda.

Below: São Paulo in April 7-10, 2003 Task Force.