Millennium Development Goals:
Sri Lanka on track
Nadira Gunatilleke
Lowest maternal mortality rate in
South East Asia:
Universal primary education target
achieved:
Lanka has reduced child mortality
rate:
*Infant mortality rate low
*Decline in poverty
Sri Lanka is in the forefront of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG)
agenda. It has already achieved several MDGs, especially in the health
and education sectors. Sri Lanka has also made great strides in poverty
alleviation, child and maternal mortality rates and gender equality. Sri
Lanka is on track to achieve the targets for most of the indicators by
2015, the Second Millennium Development Goals Progress Report said.
The report was launched at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel, Colombo
yesterday with the participation of Finance Deputy Minister Dr Sarath
Amunugama and UNDP Resident Representative Neil Buhne.
According to the report, Sri Lanka has the lowest maternal mortality
rate (MMR) in South East Asia and the country has achieved considerable
success in reducing MMR. Sri Lanka has been extraordinarily successful
in reducing the child mortality rate over the last half century. At its
current level of 11.3 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, IMR is lower
than that achieved by countries considerably wealthier than Sri Lanka.
The report said poverty in Sri Lanka declined from 26.1 percent in
1990-91 to 15.2 percent in 2006-07. The country is on course to attain
the MDG target of halving poverty (down to 13 percent) at the national
level by 2015. Mahinda Chintana has developed suitable approaches which
are implemented , to stimulate economic growth and ensure it trickles
down equitably.
The report said Sri Lanka has almost achieved the universal primary
education target with net enrollment rate reaching 97.5 percent in
2006/07 for both males and females.
At this rate Sri Lanka will achieve the target of 100 percent well
before 2015, if present trends are continued, it said.
Sri Lanka has almost reached gender parity in primary education with
the `ratio of girls to boys in primary education’ reaching 99 percent in
2006/07. In secondary and tertiary education, the proportion of girls to
boys exceeds 100 percent indicating that there are more girls than boys
in secondary and tertiary levels of education. This also needs the
attention of the authorities, the report said.
The report said Sri Lanka still remains as one of the few countries
in the region with a low level HIV epidemic. High literacy, the
relatively high status of women and good access to healthcare services
act as a protective barrier against the spread of HIV infection in Sri
Lanka, it said.
Sri Lankan Government has developed a national multi-sectoral
strategy to combat HIV/AIDS and majority of the sectors have progressed
satisfactorily. The overall malaria situation in Sri Lanka is improving
significantly and a sharp drop in the number of reported cases (196 in
2007) with no deaths, demonstrate that the National Malaria Control
Program has been effective, even in the traditional disease-prone
Northern districts.
According to the same report, Sri Lanka has been identified as one of
the countries on track to achieve goals set by the Montreal Protocol to
protect the Ozone layer. The Mahinda Chintana has outlined the
Government’s resolve to ensure environmental sustainability by focusing
on sustainable management of forest resources for protection of the
environment and biodiversity. As there are regional disparities it is
the responsibility of all the authorities to develop suitable strategies
and implement them effectively in all the regions (districts). |