Addis Ababa — Countries will fall short on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a set of eight globally agreed development goals with a due date of 2015, a new World Bank-IMF report warns.

Though much of the world is set to cut extreme poverty in half by then, prospects are gravest for the goals of reducing child and maternal mortality, with serious shortfalls also likely in primary school completion, nutrition, and sanitation goals.

The report was launched all over the world, including Ethiopia late Monday.

"In this Year of Action on the MDGs, I am particularly concerned about the risks of failing to meet the goal of reducing hunger and malnutrition, the 'forgotten MDG'," Robert B. Zoellick, President of the World Bank Group said in a video conference held.

"As the report shows, reducing malnutrition has a 'multiplier' effect, contributing to success in other MDGs including maternal health, infant mortality, and education," he added.

Out of 53 countries in Africa, only 13 will meet only one of the UN-set Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) World Bank officials noted citing the report at the Ethiopia launch of the report at the Bank's Addis Ababa office..

They said Ethiopia and Malawi showed encouraging progress in boosting agricultural development.

The report revealed, however that Ethiopia was one of the most vulnerable countries harmful effects of climate change.