For Environment and Governance, More of the Same

Despite the innovative aspects of the MDG approach, the treatment of the environment and governance in the MDGs harkens back to old, outmoded ways of thinking. The environment is seen as an add-on rather than the essential foundation of all human well-being and economic production. From an operational perspective, environmental sustainability is more of an afterthought than a cross-cutting concept that provides a point of orientation for all of the MDGs.

The seventh of the eight MDGs commits nations to