UN General Assembly
2004

attended the conference on the reconstruction of Iraq and is willing to involve itself more actively in that process. In our national reform and development process over the past 18 years, we have surmounted enormous challenges to realize the goal of a rich people, a strong country, a just, democratic and civilized society. Encouraging results have been recorded. Over the past 10 years, the average annual growth of our gross domestic product has been maintained at as high as 7.4 per cent, with the number of poor households reduced by half. Special importance has been given to people- centred development. We are resolved to sustain high economic growth in combination with the development of culture, the advancement of social progress and equality, the improvement of living conditions for the people and, most important, the achievement of the goal of becoming an industrialized country by 2020. Given our substantial initial achievements and the appropriate path on which we have embarked, the 31 United Nations Development Programme, in its third report on the implementation of the Millennium