Global development important to both South, North countries: Sri Lankan president

Sri Lanka said on Wednesday that global development is important to both developed and developing countries, saying that his country's new vision is to achieve twin targets of sustainable development and reconciliation.

The statement came when Maithripala Sirisena, the Sri Lankan president, was taking the floor at the General Debate of the UN General Assembly, which entered its third day here Wednesday.

"I believe that for global development, it is important to have a dialogue within the South as much as between the North and South," he said. "My country that represents the South can contribute immensely to nurture such South-South dialogue."

Sustainable development is the key point in the Post-2015 Development Agenda, which was approved by world leaders at a UN summit here Friday and will serve as a blueprint for the global development for the next 15 years.

"My understanding of sustainable development is not to have sectorally or group-wise isolated development, but to have an inclusive model of development that is capable of uplifting development standards globally," he said. "For this purpose, I stress on the need for a fresh universal approach."

"Our new vision for the country involves achieving the twin objectives of sustainable development and reconciliation. A fundamental requirement in this context is dealing with the past honestly and building a modern Sri Lankan nation," the president said.

"Development should result in the empowerment of women and youth and assure security for children. Frustration in youth usually leads to conflict," he said. "Nevertheless, youth is the driving force for sustainable development."

"Therefore, we should transform the youth to a totally skilled workforce to succeed in the 21st century knowledge-based world," he said. "It should be a lead component of the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda." Enditem