MDGs and tobacco: a glimmer of hope—but only if matched by dollars

Many agencies and countries have great expectations for the poverty reduction targets of the millennium development goals (MDGs). These were adopted at the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in New York in September 2000 with the aim to “ensure that globalization becomes a positive force for all the world’s people”. The eight goals of the MDGs are specifically targeting issues regarded as critical to progress in reducing poverty including eradicating poverty, achieving universal education, promoting gender equality, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, and ensuring environmental sustainability. As conceived, the MDGs had a strong focus on poverty reduction, but the aim to improve health outcomes for marginalised millions was …