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| Sunday, 10 April 2005 |
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Govt's MDG progress report submitted to Kofi Annan The first Millennium Development Goals (MDG) progress report prepared by the Sri Lankan government under the National Council for Economic Development (NCED) was submitted to the United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan recently. Sherman Gunatillake of NCED said that the MDGs are the world's targets for dramatically reducing extreme poverty in its many dimensions by the year 2015. The goals are targeted in reducing extreme poverty, hunger, disease, exclusion, lack of infrastructure and shelter while promoting gender equality, education, health and environment sustainability. In September 2000, world leaders gathered at the UN General Assembly in New York to take stock of the challenges to humanity in the new millennium. They noted the importance of establishing peace and security, and turning globalisation into a positive force for the world's people. Sri Lanka is one of the 191 signatories to the Millennium Declaration, which emerged from the Summit. "We will spare no effort to free our fellow men, women and children from the abject and dehumanising conditions of extreme poverty, to which more than a billion of them are currently subjected. We are committed to making the right to development a reality for everyone" Millennium Declaration- The universal goals are Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger,Achieve Universal Primary Education, Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women, Reduce Child Mortality, Improve Maternal Health, Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases, Ensure Environmental Sustainability and Develop a Global Partnership for Development. Gunatillake said that over the past ten years Sri Lanka has made considerable progress in the areas of social and human development and is already on track in achieving the MDG targets for primary education, infant and maternal mortality and gender equality in education. More people have access to basic infrastructure and services today than a decade ago. However poverty still remains a major challenge in the country and realigning development initiatives in reducing disparities in social well- being across the country at provincial level are given priority, he said. The government has taken an institutional approach to integrate the achievement of MDGs in its development plans. The first MDG report will be launched next month after completion of translations of the report into local languages. (SG) |
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