The Millennium Declaration made by United Nations and adopted by 189 world leaders in September 2000 lists out eight goals to be achieved till 2015. Since the adoption of the Millennium Declaration, some questions have been raised by civil society organisations about the MDGs. Why should the public mobilize to achieve MDGs when so many earlier UN goals remain unfulfilled? and so on. Another question that forms the theme of many debates, is: Has ICT got any role to play in achieving these MDGs? Inspite of the doubts, the fact remains that many organisations are deliberating how to include them in the various global or national strategies. 2005 is a year of stocktaking of MDGs with the Millennium +5 Summit scheduled in September.

i4d feels there is a need to bring awareness, share knowledge and bring issues of ICT and MDG to light. Therefore this year we will be examining particularly the role of ICTs in achieving the MDGs. We are taking up each goal one by one where we are focusing on reviewing the MDG achievements, role of ICTs and the challenges that confront agencies, governments and donors to mobilize a campaign to achieve the goals.

The i4d-MDG calendar

February	MDG Overview and Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger (MDG 1)
March	Gender equality and women empowerment (MDG 3)
April	Achieve universal primary education (MDG 2)
May	Reduce child mortality and Improve maternal health (MDG 4 & 5)
August	Ensure Environment sustainability (MDG 7) / Millennium +5 Summit
October	Develop a global partnership for development (MDG 8)
December	HIV/AIDS (MDG 6)

February issue
This is the first of the series. It gives a brief introduction of MDGs and a perspective piece from Richard Heeks, who has challenged the MDGs, as can the relevance of applying ICTs to those goals. The issue features the interview of Salil Shetty, Director of the Millennium Campaign. It also brings lessons from local initiatives bringing difference in the lives of poor people in India and Brazil.

Support the initiative
We look forward to your contributions in the form of articles, stories or any other important information related to MDGs, which you would like to share with us. The editorial guidelines can be read at http://www.i4donline.net/guidelines.asp.