Reviews of MDG progress in various countries have revealed many successes, but also the need for urgent, focused action. In the absence of enhanced efforts, many countries risk missing one or more of the targets by the deadline. In others, even if the target will be reached by the country as a whole, subnational areas may lag behind.The MDG Acceleration Framework (MAF) provides a systematic way for countries to develop their own action plan to pursue MDG priorities. This report shares the lessons from 10 pilot countries on efforts taken toward meeting the 2015 MDG deadline. It also addresses disparities and inequalities, one of the major causes of uneven MDG progress across and within countries, by responding to the needs of the most vulnerable —the poorest of the poor, women, and ethnic minorities.

Report Highlights

• Togo, highlighted that lack of access to fertilizers, improved seeds, and support to farmers were major obstacles barring progress toward the eradication of poverty.
• Notwithstanding its significant improvement in poverty reduction, hunger, access to education, gender parity, HIV/AIDS treatment, and access to safe water, Uganda continues to struggle with increases in their maternal mortality rate.
• Lao PDR has made improvements in the areas of poverty reduction, primary school enrollment, and infant mortality, but is now facing a few specific challenges, namely: gender inequity along the dimensions of education as well as a critical need for increased political participation.
• In Colombia, the MDG Acceleration Framework (MAF) is being applied to help analyse the efficacy of local level policies/programmes addressing specific MDGs, while improving their design across four departments and two municipalities.
• Through all the case studies, it is important to reiterate that the MAF is a systematic, yet flexible, process intended solely to guide policy makers towards areas that need greater scrutiny, and to help them make better informed choices towards accelerating progress.