On September 8, 9, and 10, the United Nations (UN) Department of Information (DPI) partnered with the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to sponsor the 57th Annual DPI/NGO Conference in New York City. In his welcoming remarks, Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the UN, highlighted the theme of the conference, "Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): Civil Society Takes Action." The MDGs are eight action steps adopted in 2000 by UN member states and designed to ensure the basic rights of all people to live safe, healthy, and productive lives. This article describes the MDGs.