Azernews.Az

BAKU – Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov visiting the United States has briefed the United Nations about Azerbaijan’s success in poverty reduction and disease prevention.

Speaking at a UN summit in New York on Tuesday, Mammadyarov said the Azerbaijani government is meeting all of its commitments under the Millennium Development Goals that run until 2015, though 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory is occupied by neighboring Armenia and there are up to a million Azerbaijani refugees and IDPs.

The minister said further that the Azerbaijani economy has been growing in the past five years.

"Revenues from the oil sector allow financing projects required to reach those aims by 2015," Mammadyarov said.

He noted that a particular focus in Azerbaijan is on protecting the rights of orphans and promoting their talent.

Mammadyarov also said efforts were being made in the country to reduce maternal and child mortality rates.

"The rate of child mortality has decreased three-fold and that of maternal deaths halved in the past five years."

According to the minister, the government is also working to deter the spread of the HIV virus in the country and is placing an emphasis on environmental protection.

Emanating from the Millennium Declaration, the eight Millennium Development Goals bind countries to do more and join efforts in the fight against poverty, illiteracy, hunger, lack of education, gender inequality, child and maternal mortality, disease and environmental degradation. The Goals offer the world a means to accelerate the pace of development and measure results.