What did the MDGs actually achieve?

It is unlikely all the MDGs will be met - in which case, why is it mostly assumed we should try again? What lessons can we take from the MDGs successes and failures?



UN Sec-Gen Ban Ki-moon claimed in April 2013 that the MDGs were the 'most successful anti-poverty push in history'...

Is he right?

The High Level Panel final report of May 2013 begins with an executive summary that states: "The 13 years since the millennium have seen the fastest reduction in poverty in human history: there are half a billion fewer people living below an international poverty line of $1.25 a day. Child death rates have fallen by more than 30%, with about three million children’s lives saved each year compared to 2000. Deaths
from malaria have fallen by one quarter. This unprecedented progress has been driven by a combination of economic growth, better policies, and the global commitment to the MDGs, which set out an inspirational rallying cry for the whole world."

So that's nice correlative data. But correlation is not causation. What specific changes did the MDGs lead to?
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