Global cooperation key to tackle poverty: Maleeha

At the UN, Pakistan called for global cooperation to eradicate poverty and achieve social development for all, says a press release received here from New York.

Speaking in the 56th Session of the Commission for Social Development, Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN, Maleeha Lodhi said that despite the tremendous progress made in reducing global poverty, significant disparities remain between and within countries.

She said that social discrimination and exclusion based on religion, race, gender and ethnicity was hinder- ing global efforts to sustainable development. "With growing vulnerability and exclusion, persistence of unaccountable institutions and continuing conflicts and violence, our efforts to transform the world are under threat", she stressed Poverty and inequality are multifaceted challenges that need multi-pronged solutions, Ambassador Lodhi said and added, "It is only through realistic and determined social and economic policymaking and implementation that we can combat poverty.

Only inclusive economic growth can provide sustainable jobs and promote equality". Arguing that there was an inextricable link between social development and economic growth, Ambassador Lodhi said that both were complementary and mutually reinforcing.

Emphasizing the importance of social and economic development of the people, she said that it is no coincidence that the overarching objective of the UN's 2030 Agenda has put people and prosperity at the front and center of sustainable development.

She told the Commission that Pakistan has put in place a robust results-based monitoring system to evaluate the progress of a wide range of strategies to ensure implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Pakistan, she said, was also implement- ing ' people first' strategies to lift people out of poverty. "Our policies aim to promote financial inclusion, agricultural growth, rural development, provision of educational opportunities and poverty eradication", she added.

Ambassador Lodhi referred to the ambitious CPEC project as an example of South-South cooperation for the achievement of shared economic and development objectives. "This game-changing project will be pivotal to our efforts to combat poverty and achieve SDG targets. A win-win venture, it offers economic opportunities not only for the people of Pakistan but also for the entire region and beyond", she added.