UN envoy pushes for poverty reduction

UNITED NATIONS — A Chinese envoy on Tuesday urged countries to make the goal of poverty reduction their top priority.

“Since reducing poverty is the primary goal of the 2030 Agenda, countries must set this goal as the top priority,” said Wu Haitao, charge d’affaires of the Chinese delegation to the United Nations, at the General Debate of the Second Committee of the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly.

“The international community must focus on helping developing countries build capacity in poverty reduction, eliminating hunger as well as poverty in all its forms, achieving food security and facilitating the timely realization of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals),” said Wu.

To advance the 2030 Agenda, it is crucial for all countries to take concrete action, he said, adding that the Second Committee “needs to push for closer cooperation among all parties in a joint effort to implement the 2030 Agenda and work for win-win results through cooperation.”

“The international community should maintain the status of North-South cooperation as the main channel, deepen South-South cooperation and triangular cooperation, and support other stakeholders, including the private sector, to play a bigger role in the development partnerships,” he added.

On improving the international environment for development, Wu said that all sides need to make efforts to improve global economic governance, maintain an open and inclusive multilateral trade system, and strive for economic globalization characterized by openness, inclusiveness, universal benefit, balance and win-win results.

Wu also said that it is important to “strengthen the UN’s development function,” adding that there is a need for all sides to support the reform of the development system to steer the UN further toward development and provide support to the developing countries in their implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

On the same day, Wu also addressed the Third Committee of the 72nd General Assembly, noting that “greater attention and input should be given to social development.”

“Member states should give social development the attention it deserves as an ideological imperative, and set up proper operational mechanisms in order to effectively implement the Copenhagen Declaration and Program of Action on Social Development,” he said.

He urged “a universal and sustainable social protection system” be put in place to promote inclusive development.