For 15 years the millennium development goals (MDGs) were a guiding force for many issues affecting the lives of children and young people around the world. Agreed by UN member states in 2001, the eight MDGs were designed as a framework around which states were expected to develop policy priorities and shape their overseas aid spending plans. The goals provided a focus for donors, international organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) around an overarching ambition to reduce global poverty and its worst effects. Over this time, through a combination of economic growth, more targeted development spending, technical progress and improved cooperation, life certainly has improved for millions of children. Tremendous progress has been made in reducing preventable child deaths, getting more girls and boys into school, reducing extreme poverty and ensuring more people have access to safe water and nutritious food. However, although astonishing improvements have been made on many "averages" across the goals, progress has been extremely uneven. Once you begin to disaggregate the data and break down those averages it soon becomes clear that there are still thousands who have been left behind. Too many children and young people--especially the very poorest, the most marginalized and those in most danger--did not escape poverty, get a quality education or receive protection from violence.