At the Millennium Summit in New York in September 2000, the largest gathering of world leaders in history, heads of states and governments adopted the UN Millennium Declaration. This committed their nations to a new global partnership to reduce extreme poverty and also set out a series of targets, all with a deadline of 2015, that have become known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

In 2005, UNHCR commissioned a number of studies to ascertain whether refugees and other persons of concern are included in this process and whether progress has been made in achieving the MDGs.

NIDI report on living conditions of people of concern

On behalf of UNHCR, the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI) investigated the MDG-related living conditions of

HSRC report on refugees and urban asylum seekers in South Africa

The Human Sciences Research Council, in Pretoria (South Africa), undertook a desk study for the UNHCR on refugees and asylum-seekers in South Africa. This study compares the well being of such persons with comparable groups in South Africa based on the UNHCR Standards and Indicators Report and the UN Millennium Development Indicators.