Fully commit to the UN Millennium Development Goals and targets to halve extreme poverty, saving millions of lives

The US should fully commit to the UN MD goals and targets, fighting hunger, gender disparity, AIDS, and lack of basic education, funding efforts in this pursuit by fulfilling the UN resolution 2626 pledge to provide 0.7% of the gross national income (GNI) in international official development assistance (ODA). The US has fallen far short, allocating only around 0.2% of GNI for ODA, but should resolutely set out to pursue the MD goals, working with NGOs, seeking effective, empowering, and sustainable development, free from structural adjustment, with a clear target of giving 0.7% in ODA by 2015. This cost-effective effort could save over 25,000 lives per day, being a minor outlay in the US budget, yet likely to save and improve far more lives per dollar than any other federal program.