This report provides an assessment of the Millennium Development Goals;; laid out by the UN Millennium Declaration. The UN Millennium Declaration was adopted in September of 2000 as a commitment on the part of the world's leading nations to reduce poverty;; improve health and promote peace;; human rights;; and environmental sustainability. The Millennium Development Goals are specific;; measurable targets that aim to reduce extreme global poverty by the year 2015. This report analyzes the challenges and barriers to meeting these goals as of 2003;; examining the successes and failures of various nations and the gaps that exist between regions and countries with regards to economic growth and human development. This report then examines the successes and failures of public and private policies with regards to hunger;; health;; water and sanitation;; education;; and environmental sustainability. This report also analyzes the participation of civil society throughout the world and the mobilization of grassroots support for the various human development goals. Finally;; this report presents a number of recommendations on what countries can do to best support these goals.

The Arab Human Development Reports continue to examine the factors that prevent an Arab renaissance from taking off;; and to search for those that could empower it to advance and progress. In this third installment in the series;; the report focuses on the deficit of freedom and good governance and calls for far-reaching legal and political reforms.

The report aims to address the particular needs and cultural dynamics of Syrian refugees residing in Jordan;; especially with regards gender-based violence and child protection issues. It presents a comprehensive range of perspectives from urban Syrian refugees and local Jordanian decision makers in government;; community-based organizations and the religious and education sectors. The assessment of this report is based on data collected through three methodologies including questionnaire survey to refugees outside the Za’atari refugee camp;; focus group discussions in regions across Jordan and in-depth interviews. Key findings of the report are 1. The rates of early marriage are high;; 2. A significant percentage of children contribute to the household’s income and 3. Restrictions on women and girls’ mobility constrain their participation in social and economic activities and access to basic services. The report recommends measures to prevent acts of sexual exploitation and abuse and ensure the needs of the most vulnerable members of the Syrian refugee population in the cities.