Muscat: Road accidents and non-communicable diseases remain the two greatest challenges for Oman as the country continues to strive to meet its Millennium Development Goals (MDG).
Saeed Badr Bin Hamad Bin Hamoud Al Busaidi, Secretary General of the Foreign Ministry said: “Road accidents and non-communicable diseases are two challenges we need to look into as they cause 15 per cent and 60 per cent (respectively) premature deaths around the world”.
Al Busaidi spoke before the United Nations' (UN) General Assembly meeting, held to review progress on the Millennium Development Goals. Heads of states and governments adopted the Millennium Declaration during the Millennium Summit, held in 2000. A total of eight development goals were agreed upon.
“In Oman, the mortality rate among children under age five fell 29 per cent since 1990," Al Busaidi said.
"And women took over many leadership positions with the continued support and the Royal care of Sultan Qaboos Bin Saeed.”
However road accidents, and the fight against non-communicable diseases, were two challenges that needed to be given priority.
Al Busaidi pointed out that, if implemented, the Millennium Development Goals would lead to a world with less poverty, hunger and disease, and a world where more people had access to better healthcare and education.
He agreed that success had been achieved in some areas.
“Progress continues to be made in poverty reduction, putting more children in schools, controlling malaria and HIV and the provision of safe water resources in rural areas,” he said.
But he said there was a danger that many of the Millennium Development Goals would not be met in most regions.
"In this time of economic crisis, combating global poverty, disease, and inequality is no easy task. The negative impact of natural disasters, epidemics and civil unrest serve to make debt-ridden developing countries yet poorer still," he said.
He stressed the importance of reviewing progress in achieving the development goals, and the challenges faced by the international community in the past decade.
It was necessary to develop a plan for the coming years to ensure that these targets would not become empty idealism, he said.
