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The World Summit for Social Development and the World Conference on Women in 1995 were re-affirmed by 189 Heads of State in the Millennium Summit in 2000, and a worldwide race has started to end poverty, achieve equality between the sexes and reach the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

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When will dignity for all be achieved?
WAY BEYOND 2015…
"We have a collective responsibility to uphold the principles of human dignity, equality and equity at the global level. As leaders we have a duty therefore to all the world’s people, especially the most vulnerable and, in particular, the children of the world, to whom the future belongs.” (Millennium Declaration, 2000)

What is the bare minimum required for a decent life for all? The world leaders who signed the Declaration did not define it clearly, but its principles are embedded in the commitment to achieve certain targets by 2015. Some of these goals are set “for all” (100% basic education, 100% access to water and sanitation), while others aspire, for example, to “reduce by half the proportion of people who suffer from hunger”. Such a reduction would be a major achievement… but still leave the other half hungry. When will we achieve the basic standards of material dignity for all the world’s people? Not in a hundred years unless we substantially accelerate the current trends of progress in the social areas!