UN Millennium Development Goals set out goal for countries to represent human needs and basic rights.

This include freedom from extreme poverty and hunger; quality education, productive and decent employment, good health and shelter; the right of women to give birth without risking their lives; and a world where environmental sustainability is a priority, and women and men live in equality.

The Millennium Declaration in 2000 was a milestone in international cooperation, inspiring development efforts that have improved the lives of hundreds of millions of people around the world. Ten years later, world leaders gathered yesterday at the United Nations in New York to review progress, assess obstacles and gaps, and agreed on concrete strategies and actions to meet the eight Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

Leaders also pledged to forge a wide-ranging global partnership for development to achieve these universal objectives. The 2010 MDG report states that the Goals are achievable when nationally owned development strategies, policies and programmes are supported by international development partners.

The world possesses the resources and knowledge to ensure that even the poorest countries, and others held back by disease, geographic isolation or civil strife can be empowered to achieve the MDGs.

Sri Lanka has already achieved many of these goals despite having defeated the years of a violent terrorist movement and the December 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.

In terms of universal primary enrollment and completion, Sri Lanka had recorded a level of almost one hundred per cent (100%) by year 2007. Gender parity in primary education has reached ninety nine per cent (99%) and in secondary and tertiary enrollment, the ratio of girls to boys exceeds one hundred per cent (100%). Thus Sri Lanka has almost reached the MDG target to 'promote gender equity empower women' and the MDG for education: 'children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling by 2015'.

Through “Mahinda Chintana – the vision ahead”, the country also embarked upon a 10 year pro-poor, and pro-development oriented framework, to further consolidate and accelerate socio-economic progress, equally importantly.

Sri Lanka has undertaken measures to enhance computer literacy through a nation-wide project called “Nena sala” – centers of wisdom, covering mostly the rural areas to further enhance the quality of the education to empower and prepare young people for productive employment.

As per the MDG target to reduce under 5 mortality rate by two thirds between 1990 to 2015, Sri Lanka’s endeavor is to ensure every expectant mother a safe and attended child birth, and to increase the current rate of ninety eight per cent (98%) of such births, immediately to one hundred per cent (100%). The infant and under-five mortality rates in Sri Lanka, have decreased from a rate of 32 per thousand births in 1990 to 11.3 per thousand in 2009.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa, speaking at the Summit of the Millennium Development Goals in New York yesterday Sep. 22 said that Sri Lanka has incorporated Millennium Development Goals key performance indicators to its national budget policies.

Following is the MDG 2010 report :

http://www.un.org/en/mdg/summit2010/pdf/MDG Report 2010 En r15 -low res 20100615 -.pdf