Devex published several opinion pieces marking 500 days until the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) expire and discussing achievements thus far as well as remaining challenges.

Devex: A very important 500 days
Emily Cabon, youth ambassador with the ONE Campaign

“…For the new development goals to succeed, all ages need to bang the drum for development, but it is the youth who will bang the loudest and the longest. It is vital that young people play a central role in shaping these goals. In effect, they must ‘own’ them. … [Monday] mark[ed] 500 days to help forge that change. Extreme poverty can be eradicated in my generation and it is down to us to demand that this vision for the future becomes a reality…” (8/18).

Devex: Sanitation for all: The MDGs and beyond
Jan Eliasson, appointed deputy secretary-general of the United Nations

“There has been significant progress over the last 20 years by governments, global citizens, and the private sector in tackling the main obstacles to sustainable development: poverty and disease. The Millennium Development Goals have shown us what can be achieved with successfully applied targeted financial policies and human ingenuity to many entrenched global challenges. … We have just 500 days before the MDG deadline is reached and before we begin to shape the post-2015 agenda. We must press on to address the remaining challenges, save lives, and set our world on course for a better future…” (8/18).

Devex: 500 days and counting: Progress for girls and women means progress for all
Jill Sheffield, founder and president of Women Deliver, and Katja Iversen, CEO at Women Deliver

“August 18 marks 500 days remaining before the Millennium Development Goals expire at the end of 2015. Some countries are on track to meet those goals and some are not, and central to the difference is their relative levels of investment in women and girls. … The post-2015 development framework is being developed as we write, and Women Deliver is working to ensure that decision makers prioritize maternal, sexual, and reproductive health and rights, especially in countries where inequality prevails and where it would help development most…” (8/18).

Devex: Progress in the Millennium
Mahmoud Mohieldin, corporate secretary at the World Bank and the president’s special envoy on the MDGs, the Post-2015 process, and financial development

“…[W]ith 500 days left before the end of 2015, the MDGs are less a leap of imagination and more of a challenge that many leaders feel is within reach. … Achieving this requires strong and more inclusive growth, as well as policies that build human capabilities and improve access to markets help create lasting opportunities for poverty reduction. The international community needs to work in partnership with governments to build capabilities to manage global shocks, reduce environmental risk, and increase financing for development. A strong accountability framework for delivery, reinforced by good data and robust measurement must support concrete action plans at the country level” (8/18).