Manama, Sep.20 (BNA): Bahrain is well able to meet the millennium development goals beyond 2015 and withstand the current economic challenges.

Social Development Minister Faeqa Said Al-Saleh stressed Bahrain’s outstanding sustainable development achievements which were the fruit of an efficient national strategy.

“The achievements of the Government, chaired by His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa played a crucial role in fostering sustainable development”, she said.

She cited the international reports which acknowledged national growth strides and placed Bahrain atop the Arab countries on the human development index.

The minister outlined Bahrain’s credentials and development achievements as she held a press conference at the UN headquarters in Manama to shed light on the upcoming Sustainable Development Summit, which will be held on September 25-27 in New York, the US.

More than 150 world leaders are expected to attend the Summit to formally adopt the post-2015 development agenda, a bold vision for achieving sustainable development for all.

The post-2015 agenda will provide a new global roadmap for the international community and governments to frame their national development plans and policies over the next 15 years.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) follow, and expand on, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which were agreed by governments in 2000, and are due to expire at the end of this year.

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BNA 1907 GMT 2015/09/20