Development Forum starts today in Kandy:

Major step towards achieving MDGs

The Sri Lanka Development Forum 2005 will commence today in Kandy with the participation of representatives from over fifty countries and international donor agencies.

Although the Forum would be mainly focusing on the post-tsunami recovery and reconstruction process and the medium-term development strategies of Sri Lanka it is also expected to boost the confidence of the business sector to participate in the overall economic development in the country.

Another important event to be taken place at this forum is the launch of 'The Sri Lanka Millennium Development Goals Country Report-2005' which is an indepth study identifying the country's critical development needs.

The government's aim in keeping with the United Nations' target of halving poverty in Sri Lanka by 2015, is based on a survey which covers broad areas of development goals with focuses on the economy, aid flows, health and education, water, sanitation and the environment and infrastructure growth.

The country's business community will be keen to contribute to the government's efforts to achieve Millennium Development Goals(MDGs) which has now become a challenge with the additional burden of recovering from the severe blow to the economy following the tsunami.

The business community is also keen to see an end to the ethnic conflict in the country and they have expressed hope that the Development Forum in Kandy will provide an ideal opportunity for the government and the opposition to initiate a dialogue towards achieving peace.

However, the private sector's focus should not restrict only to developing housing, roads, railways and other infrastructure but on generating job opportunities.

It should also actively take part in helping the government to reduce poverty and solving persistent problems affecting social life including infant and maternal mortality and achieving significant education goals for children.