The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were adopted by world leaders in 2000, with the aim of reducing poverty, improving health and education, and promoting sustainable development. The target year set for achieving these goals was 2015.

Explanation:

- The MDGs consist of eight goals, including eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases, ensuring environmental sustainability, and developing a global partnership for development.
- The target year for achieving these goals was set at 2015, giving governments and international organizations a 15-year timeline to work towards these targets.
- Progress towards achieving the MDGs varied across countries and regions. While some countries made significant progress in reducing poverty, improving health outcomes, and increasing access to education, others lagged behind.
- In 2015, a new set of development goals, known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), were adopted by world leaders, building on the progress made under the MDGs and aiming to address new challenges such as climate change, inequality, and conflict.
- While significant progress has been made towards reducing global poverty, there is still a long way to go to achieve the SDGs, which have a target year of 2030.

In conclusion, governments aimed to meet the Millennium Development Goals, including halving the rate of global poverty, by the year 2015. While progress was made towards these goals, there is still much work to be done to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by the target year of 2030.