PM reviews Georgia’s achievements and challenges

Ongoing and already implemented reforms as well as the country’s current main challenges were the topic of the speech by Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili given at today’s presentation of the Georgian national report of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Garibashvili named the universal healthcare reform, free pre-school education, ‘Produce in Georgia’ farmers support program, the project for small-scale farmers, liberal changes in the Labour Code and free environment for businesses as the recent main achievements of Georgia. However Garibashvili believed the country still faced many challenges.

"The challenges we face are significant, such as reduction of child poverty,” the PM said.

"We accept these challenges and are trying to find effective ways to solve them.”

Garibashvili said the process of implementing the MDGs in Georgia showed that global changes needed strong and transparent accountability mechanisms as well as global cooperation.

"The Government of Georgia took part in the elaboration of these mechanisms at high-level ministerial meetings held under the aegis of the United Nations in Geneva on September 15-16,” the Georgian PM said.

"The Government’s initiatives and reforms should incorporate the world's sustainable development goals after 2015 too”.

MDGs are eight goals that must be achieved by the global community by 2015 in response to the world’s key development challenges.

As a signatory to the Millennium Declaration of September 2000, Georgia was committed to reaching its eight MDGs. Leaders also pledged to forge a wide-ranging global partnership for development to achieve these universal objectives.

The goals represented human needs and basic rights that every individual around the world should be able to enjoy, such as freedom from extreme poverty and hunger, quality education, productive and decent employment, good health and shelter, the right of women to give birth without risking their lives, a place where women and men live in equality and a world where environmental sustainability was a priority.