The United Nations is an intergovermental organisation that promotes international co-operation. They began on the 24th of October, 1945, which means they have been operating for well over 70 years.
Here are few things you should know about the relationship between Sri Lanka and the UN.
General Facts
- The United Nations began its work in Sri Lanka in 1952.
- Three years later, on 14 December 1955, Sri Lanka was admitted as a member state of the UN.
- The United Nations Family in Sri Lanka consists of 21 agencies, funds, programmes, and offices. All of which can be seen here
Sri Lanka and the Millennium Development Goals
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are the world's time-bound and quantified targets for addressing extreme poverty in its many dimensions-income poverty, hunger, disease, lack of adequate shelter, and exclusion-while promoting gender equality, education, and environmental sustainability.
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Sri Lanka achieved the target of halving poverty at the national level seven years before 2015 and has almost achieved universal primary education, and the proportion of pupils starting grade 1 who reach grade 5 is nearly 100 percent.
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But, the developments are regional; Uva, Central and Sabaragamuwa provinces, still suffer from high levels of poverty, hunger and malnutrition.
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While the national unemployment rate is at a low 40%, there is a massive gender gap. As reported by newsfirst.lk, only 30% of the labour force is women while 70% is men.
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Sri Lanka has met the target for the proportion of people with access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.
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In January 2010, Sri Lanka achieved a middle-income country status, with the highest Human Development Index rank in South Asia in 2011.
Controversy
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Sri Lanka exposes Navi Pillai’s double standards on Human Rights
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Darusam Report – there were severe allegations against Sri Lanka and war crimes.
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Ban Ki-Moon comparing genocides in Rwanda to the Sri Lankan Civil War.
Some may argue that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, and to a great extent it's true. The UN, alongside our Government and other NGOs have helped us through many events and situations and will continue to do so in the future and for that we're eternally grateful.
