UN General Assembly
2014

the poor. It is true that we have made tangible progress in our efforts to achieve the MDGs. Global poverty has fallen and continues to fall; many more children are attending primary schools; health services have improved for many people, resulting in a significant decline in child mortality; and the spread of HIV/AIDS and malaria has been halted and even reversed in some regions. In Guyana, despite the negative effects of the international financial situation, we have managed to keep our economy growing steadily over the past eight years. In fact, we have succeeded not only in growing our economy but also in ensuring that the growth has resulted in an improved quality of life for our people. Indeed, we are one of only 17 countries in the world recognized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for not only meeting the goal of reducing hunger by half but also of improving their people’s nutrition. We have achieved universal primary education and are close to achieving universality for secondary education, too. We have also