Criticism of MDGs

MDGs
General criticisms include:
a perceived lack of analytical power and justification behind the chosen objectives.Some of the
indicator definitions, baselines and targets were changed after their first adoption, to suggest that
progress had been better than was really the case.

The MDGs lack strong objectives and indicators for within-country equality, despite significant
disparities in many developing nations

Iterations of proven local successes should be scaled up to address the larger need through human
energy and existing resources using methodologies such as participatory rural appraisal, asset-
based community development, or seed-scals
Count:
The MDGs were attacked for insufficient emphasis on environmental sustainability Thus, they do
not capture all elements needed to achieve the ideals set out in the MDGs Declaration
Agriculture was not specifically mentioned in the MDGs even though most of the world's poor are
farmers

MDG 8 uniquely focuses on donor achievements, rather than development successes. The
Commitment to Development Index, published annually by the Center for Global Development in
Washington, D.C., is considered the best numerical indicator for MDG 8, It is a more comprehensive
measure of donor progress than official development assistance, as it takes into account policies on
a number of indicators that affect developing countries such as trade, migration and investment
Alleged lack of legitimacy

The entire MDG process has been accused of lacking legitimacy as a result of failure to include,
often, the voices of the very participants that the MDGs seek to assist. The International
Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty, in its post 2015 thematic consultation document on
MDG 69 states "The major limitation of the MDGs by 2015 was the lack of political will to
implement due to the lack of ownership of the MDGs by the most affected constituencies
Women's issues

Increased focus on gender issues could accelerate MDG progress, e.g. empowering women through access to
paid work could help reduce child mortality. In South Asian countries babies often suffered from low birth weight
and high mortality due to limited access to healthcare and maternal malnutrition. Paid work could increase
women's access to health care and better nutrition, reducing child mortality. Increasing female education and
workforce participation increased these effects. Improved economic opportunities for women also decreased
participation in the sex market, which decreased the spread of AIDS, MDG 6
and knowledge exist to decrease poverty through improving gender equality, the political will is often missing. If
donor and developing countries focused on seven "priority areas", great progress could be made towards the
MDG. These seven priority areas include: increasing girls' completion of secondary school, guaranteeing sexual
and reproductive health rights, improving infrastructure to ease women's and girl's time burdens, guaranteeing
women's property rights, reducing gender inequalities in employment, increasing seats held by women in
government, and combating violence against women.
It is thought by some women's rights' advocates that the current MDGs targets do not place enough emphasis on
tracking gender inequalities in poverty reduction and employment as there are only gender goals relating to
health, education, and political representation. Feminist writers such as( Naila Kabeer) have argued that in order
to encourage women's empowerment and progress towards the MDGs, increased emphasis should be placed on
gender mainstreaming development policies and collecting data based on gender