It's close to half time. The siren is about to sound. Will we be well on the way to victory? Or will we need to have a long hard look at our own performance and put in a much better effort for the second half? As we approach half time, we look back at the progress that has been made and where more effort is needed. It's time to plan for a successful second half.

The UN Millennium Declaration, which Australia signed, stated:

"We will spare no effort to free our fellow men, women and children from the abject and dehumanising conditions of extreme poverty, to which more than a billion of them are currently subjected. We are committed to making the right to development a reality for everyone and to freeing the entire human race from want."

"This is the self-imposed high standard by which we are to be judged as we approach the half way mark."

Half time is approaching. In 2000, all Member states of the United Nations, including Australia, agreed to act to halve global poverty by 2015. On 07/07/07 it is half time.

7th July 2007, is the date by which we should be half way to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). How are we faring? Are we on track? Are we doing enough? Have we "spared no effort"? And if we are not doing enough, we need to keep in mind that millions of lives are at stake.

Each year the United Nations reports on progress towards the achievement of these 8 goals. This "report card" makes startling reading and should stimulate questions as to what could be going wrong, how we can improve and actually achieve our goals.

Let's look at each of the 8 separately to more closely examine the progress made so far.

Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
On current performance, Northern Africa, East and South-East Asia will achieve their MDG targets. Unfortunately many in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, South Asia and Oceania will continue to suffer from extreme poverty and malnutrition. In Africa, rather than improving, the situation has actually deteriorated. A quarter of the world's children continue to suffer from hunger. Malnutrition contributes to half of child deaths. The number of underweight children under 5 numbers more than 150 million. In sub-Saharan Africa the numbers of underweight children has increased substantially since the 1990s. Verdict: There is much more to do.

Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education
Many regions throughout the world are approaching universal enrolment. On average, enrolment rates in developing countries are now close to 90%. The regions least likely to achieve their MDG target are the poorest. Sub-Saharan Africa, Southern Asia and Oceania will need a renewed effort in particular if they are to reach their target. Once enrolled, efforts need to continue to ensure that children remain in school and receive a quality education. Girls in particular are less likely than boys to complete their education. 115 million children continue to be excluded from schooling and in some regions only 50% to 60% actually complete their primary education. Verdict: We are on the way.

Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
Much has been done to improve the number of girls enrolling in primary school. There is close to parity between boys and girls in access to primary education. However, girls tend to fall behind at the higher levels of education which severely limits their ability to participate fully in society. Women still have some way to go in access to paid employment, which lags well behind men and when women do have access to employment it is usually to lower status jobs. Women also still have some way to go until they attain equal political representation in national parliaments although progress is being made in many countries where affirmative action measures have been introduced. Verdict: More action needed but outlook is promising.

Goal 4: Reduce child mortality of under 5 year-olds by two thirds
In 1960 1 child in 5 died in developing countries before they turned 5 years old. Now the rate is 1 in 10. However, 30,000 children die each day due to poverty related causes. Northern Africa, Latin America and South- East Asia look set to reach their MDG target but other areas have seen little improvement in recent years. Most child deaths are easily preventable through inexpensive treatments or preventative measures like antibiotics to treat infections, mosquito nets to prevent malaria infection and rehydration salts for children with diarrhoea. Immunisation programs must also be expanded especially against measles in Oceania, South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa as some 450,000 children died in 2004 from Measles. Verdict: We can get there if we continue our efforts.

Goal 5: Improve maternal health
This goal aims to reduce the numbers of mothers dying in childbirth by three quarters. Half a million women die each year giving birth. Twenty times as many again suffer serious complications including permanent disability. Giving birth should be the source of joy but for many women and their families, especially in the poorest regions of the world it is fraught with danger. Bangladesh is an example of a success story despite being one of the poorest countries in the world. They ensure that skilled people attend each birth; that specialist care is available when required and that women support each other during pregnancy and after the birth. Verdict: Promising but we need to extend our efforts.

Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
This goal was to halt and reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS. This goal will need many more resources devoted to it if it is to be attained. On current trends no region will have achieved this MDG target by 2015. 20 million people worldwide have already died from AIDS. It is the leading cause of premature death in sub-Saharan Africa and some 40 million live with HIV worldwide. Infection rates have stabilised in Africa but have risen alarmingly in most other regions, including Oceania. HIV/AIDS has created a whole generation of orphans, especially in Africa. Malaria and tuberculosis too, have continued to devastate communities, especially in the poorest regions where even inexpensive treatments and preventative measures are not available or accessible. Some programs like the distribution of mosquito nets in Malawi have, however, proved to be extremely successful. Verdict: More effort needed.

Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
The progress on this front has not been too positive. The value of forests in preventing global warming is undisputed. It is disappointing then to see the continuing removal of forests around the world. In the last 10 years almost a million square kilometres of forests were logged or converted into farmland.

There has been substantial improvement, however, in people having access to clean drinking water except in sub-Saharan Africa where 42% of the population cannot access clean water. Improvements have been made in people's access to basic sanitation. However, as half of the population in developing countries still do not have access to basic sanitation it is unlikely that this MDG target will be achieved. 300 million extra people should have had access to sanitation by now if we were on target. On current trends some 2.4 billion people will lack access to basic sanitation in 2015, the same numbers as today. Verdict focused attention needed.

Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development
After a sharp increase in 2005 following a steady decline over the 1990s, aid flows last year decreased again. Large aid flows, mainly due to debt relief and emergency assistance following the tsunami, were behind the increase. Overseas Development Assistance (ODA or aid, as it is more commonly known) stands at around 0.3% of the combined national income of the world's richest countries. This is still far short of the 0.7% we need to make the MDG targets. Last year $106 billion was payed out in development assistance compared to $1.06 trillion spent on military purposes. Verdict: we need to redouble our efforts immediately.

Trade is often suggested as the way for developing countries to increase living standards. Trade had an impact on the improvements in living standards in Asia particularly. The problem, however, is that many developing countries are subject to unfair trade rules which make it close to impossible to compete on world markets with the rich countries of Europe and America.

There continues to be a huge gap in access to new technologies between rich and poor countries. Over half the population of the world's richest countries have access to the Internet whereas less than 1% of the population of the 50 poorest counties have Internet access.

Such statistics are sobering. Progress is being made but much more needs to be done. We have a long way to go before we can be satisfied that we have lived up to the commitments our Governments' have made to current and future generations. We are at the halfway mark, a time reflect on how far we have come. We are on the way and we can reach the MDGs. But we do need renewed determination. So many lives depend on us reaching these goals.