Achievements of MDGs:

Special UN team to find out secret behind Lanka’s success

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

COLOMBO: A special team from the United Nations is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka next month to find out the secret behind the success of achieving three Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) seven years before the targeted year of 2015. The three MDGs are from the Health Ministry, a Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry spokesman said.

The spokesman said that the Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry has already achieved three MDGs set by the United Nations in 2000. The UN set seven Millennium Development Goals for Sri Lanka which have to be achieved by 2015.

Three of them came under the Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry and they have already been achieved.

This is a landmark victory in the health sector of Sri Lanka. Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva had stressed the guidance and strength provided by President Mahinda Rajapaksa and `Mahinda Chinthanaya’ to achieve this great success. President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s commitment to ensure the free flowing of adequate funds for the free health services and free education is the main reason behind this landmark victory achieved well ahead of the targeted year which is 2015.

The three MDGs achieved by the Ministry is reducing the maternal mortality rate, infant mortality rate and increasing the life expectancy of citizens. Sri Lanka has already set records in the region by these three indicators and is on par with developed countries.

The average life expectancy of a Sri Lankan which was 42 years in 1945 is 73 years now. The infant mortality rate was 140 per 10,000 live births in 1945 and now it is only 11.2. The maternal mortality rate was 155 per 10,000 live births in 1945 and but it is only 1.4 at present, he said.

The MDGs are the world’s targets to dramatically reduce extreme poverty in its many dimensions by year 2015. The goals are targeted to reduce poverty, hunger, disease, exclusion, lack of infrastructure and shelter while promoting gender equality and environmental sustainability, he added.

The Millennium Development Goals represent International consensus about essential actions needed to overcome challenges to humanity in the 21st century.

Reducing poverty and greater equality, improved health, education and environmental sustainability are essential for human progress. The MDGs measure progress in terms of real improvement in people’s lives. Each country should find its own path to achieve these goals.