Education remains key pillar in development cooperation: Iceland's FM

Education remains a key pillar in Iceland's development cooperation, said Lilja Alfredsdottir, the Icelandic minister for foreign affairs and external trade, on Saturday.

Alfredsdottir made the speech at the annual high-level debate of the 71st session of the UN General Assembly.

"Icelandic society has developed over the last 70 years from being a poor society, to a modern prosperous economy," Alfredsdottir said, "we could not have done this if we had not ensured access for all to quality secondary and higher education."

Education is a precondition of good governance, she added. "We have agreed, that no one can be left behind."

Meanwhile, the foreign minister said Iceland has pledged efforts to implement sustainable development.

"We have set our sights high for the future of our planet. We have set goals to address climate change. We have mapped out a course to sustainable development which is universal, leaves no one behind and preserves our planet," said Alfredsdottir.

"The rules and objectives are agreed - a major achievement," she said, "now we have to implement them."

This year's high-level General Assembly debate from Sept. 20-26 has gathered over 140 world leaders here in New York on a variety of issues, ranging from sustainable development, counter terrorism, and refugee and migrant crises. Enditem