Ten years have passed since world leaders at the UN Millennium Summit in New York agreed on a blueprint to improve life in underdeveloped countries by 2015. Eight so-called "Millennium Development Goals" or MDGs were set up. These range from halving extreme poverty and halting the spread of HIV/AIDS, to providing primary education to all children and reducing infant and maternal deaths.

But two-thirds of the way to the goals' 2015 deadline, the progress that has been made is only partial and sporadic.