Aid world hypocritical - Deputy Minister Amunugama
Nadira Gunatilleke
Sri Lanka has taken a very sincere effort to achieve Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) and Sri Lanka will be a recognized case study
for the world in connection with successfully achieving economic
development, Finance Deputy Minister Dr Sarath Amunugama said.
Deputy Minister Amunugama said the �aid world� is full of hypocrisy.
World aid of five donors mainly goes to Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and
Vietnam but hardly goes to the African region and the rest of the
developing countries.
Dr Amunugama was addressing the gathering after launching the
Millennium Development Goals Country Report 2008-09 at the Cinnamon
Grand Hotel, Colombo yesterday. He said in Sri Lanka there had been
initiatives to improve maternal and child- care even before the
independence. The country had excellent records in those areas since
then. Sri Lanka can be proud of achieving several MDGs and now in the
path of achieving rapid economic growth.
The country has clear policies. Sri Lanka became an attractive
destination because of the country�s high literacy rate. Sri Lanka is
now need to be focused on improving the quality of education.
UNDP Resident Representative Neil Buhne said that Sri Lanka is in the
forefront of the MDG agenda, having already achieved several of the MDGs,
especially in the health and education sectors.
The UN system in Sri Lanka fully supports to achieve MDGs and the
Mahinda Chintana has clearly specified the Government�s commitment
towards the achievement of MDGs for all people.
Institute of Policy Studies Executive Director Dr Saman Kelegama said
that although Sri Lanka has a very high literacy rate some Sri Lankan
women go abroad to work as housemaids. They cannot understand questions
asked in the embarkation card and can�t fill it properly. More girls are
in higher education than boys but unemployment among educated women are
high. Those are the areas we should pay attention. Women�s participation
in politics is low in Sri Lanka. |
