UN lauds Government's 10 Year Plan

[Monday, January 29, 2007 - 11.30 GMT]   

This biennial development forum provides a welcome opportunity for consultation and discussion among Sri Lanka's partners very soon after the release of the Government's 10-Year Horizon Development Framework 2006 - 2016. It also provides an occasion for Sri Lanka's development partners, at a moment one year after your assumption of office, Your Excellency, to reflect both on a recent past of resilience and sustained post-Tsunami recovery and on the development implications of the present, essentially man-made, challenges that now confront the country.

The UN acknowledges the continuity implied in this vision for a new Sri Lanka as it builds on the positive features of past policies while addressing their weaknesses. It seeks to improve the country's growth
prospects through bridging the wide regional disparities that exist, to reduce poverty which at a level of 23% nationally remains unacceptably high, and to improve the manifold aspects of human development equitably
throughout the entire country. The consequences of this disparity, such as malnutrition, call for sustained attention.

Text of Mr. Lyons' statement:

The United Nations system in Sri Lanka commends the Government on its 10-Year Plan. This is a valuable document for the future development of the country, informed as it is overarching strategic goal of promoting economic growth that equitably benefits all people across society and regions. We have noted that the National Development Strategy document is still subject
to consultation; and in accordance with the Government's wishes, we have submitted for its consideration a detailed commentary suggesting some
further areas for inclusion in the final Plan.

The UN acknowledges the continuity implied in this vision for a new Sri Lanka as it builds on the positive features of past policies while addressing their weaknesses. It seeks to improve the country's growth
prospects through bridging the wide regional disparities that exist, to reduce poverty which at a level of 23% nationally remains unacceptably high, and to improve the manifold aspects of human development equitably
throughout the entire country. The consequences of this disparity, such as malnutrition, call for sustained attention.

We welcome the Plan's emphasis on capacity development, raising the quality of human resources in the public service and improving service delivery in
the rural areas.

The pro-poor strategies which are a focus of the Plan demonstrate the Government's commitment to the Millennium Development Goals. However, we would recommend a stronger linkage between the targets of the National Development Strategy and the MDGs to clarify how the proposed strategies and policies of the plan will contribute to the attainment of the MDGs and in particular to Goal 1, the poverty reduction goal, as the plan's central objective.

The UN believes that Sri Lanka's development experience in recent times has clearly shown the link between poverty reduction, governance, and peace. The hardships caused by natural and man-made disasters facing Sri Lanka have not only threatened achievements in national development, not only because of increased human suffering and damage to infrastructure, but also because the preemption of scarce resources for security and reconstruction has
restricted the options for meeting and developing basic human needs. While it is noted that the National Development Plan gives attention to some of these challenges, we would encourage the Government to give more explicit prominence to the need for the continuation of the peace process and the cessation of hostilities in the North and East of Sri Lanka through
negotiations, without which many (if not all) of the developmental goals set out in the document may not be reached.

Similarly, it is felt that governance reform, as a key factor in fostering peace, economic growth and pro-poor development, should be visibly integrated throughout the development plan. Although public administration reform is clearly and correctly highlighted as a vital concern, other key governance issues such as the rule of law; corruption; human rights; access
to justice; transparency and accountability of public service delivery, civil society engagement, local government reform and the strengthening of key oversight institutions and mechanisms are not explicitly and comprehensively tackled in the plan. It will be important to ensure the plan is further developed and implemented with a clear gender perspective.

The United Nations in Sri Lanka remains committed to building on our longstanding partnerships with Government and key national institutions in order to support the country in realizing its development potential. We are similarly committed to continuing assistance to help Sri Lanka to address the humanitarian consequences of natural disaster or conflict. Both in 2006 and 2007 the Common Humanitarian Action Plan (CHAP) has with generous donor support dealt in a coordinated way with IDP relief, protection issues and human rights concerns giving high priority to child rights and equity considerations. Access remains a key prerequisite for both the effective delivery and coordination of humanitarian assistance, and we look forward to
the full backing of Government in that regard. We also hope that national institutions, including the newly appointed Commission of Inquiry, will ensure justice in cases of human rights violations.

In addition to the CHAP, the UN system, with a view to supporting national development priorities has been developing the United Nations Development Assistance Framework, our common response to Sri Lanka's development challenges. This framework runs from 2008-2012, the all-important first five years of the national development strategy; and we have based it on four thematic pillars which we consider critical for Sri Lanka's development - namely, the consolidation of peace, the reduction of poverty, the improvement of governance, and the achievement of gender equality and equity. Our Development Assistance Framework is nationally owned and we are pleased that our programmes has been recently, fully validated by
Government, as you Dr Jayasundera - distinguished Secretary of Finance and Planning - will recall. Some progress has been made in all four areas but it is clear that there are major challenges ahead of us and that in overcoming them, we will have to recognize and harness the linkages between poverty reduction, governance, peace and gender empowerment. At the same time, the UN will continue to stress the primacy of human rights as the very foundation of human development and will seek to support the Government and people of Sri Lanka in ensuring that rights are protected and promoted across the whole island regardless of political developments.

Two years ago, at the Development Forum in Kandy, my predecessor Miguel Bermeo raised the rhetorical question; Where are we reflecting on the human
impact, on the trauma caused by the worst disaster Sri Lanka had faced in its recorded history. May I welcome this Forum as the perfect opportunity to ask that question once more? The United Nations system in Sri Lanka with its long experience in the country, along with its many collaborators - the International Financial Institutions with which it works closely, the bilateral partners, the country's robust civil society, and the widespread NGO community stand ready to assist as the Governments strategic vision and goals for the next ten years are translated into practice for the benefit of
all the people of Sri Lanka.

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Last Updated Date: January 29, 2007 - 11.30 GMT