Asean to continue to push for poverty eradication

NEW YORK: Poverty eradication and the narrowing of development gaps have remained the top priorities of Asean nations, says Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga, Head of Vietnam’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations ( UN).

She made the statement at the 56th session of the Commission for Social Development of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, which began in New York on Monday, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.

The ambassador reiterated the bloc’s strong commitment to implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The establishment of the Asean Community in 2015 and the adoption of the Asean Vision 2025 affirmed the determination of member countries to build a community of peace, prosperity, self-reliance and look towards people, she said.

Asean has gained remarkable achievements in recent times in poverty eradication, especially reducing the number of extremely poor people to 44 million in 2015 from 138 million in 2000.

The ambassador added that in November 2017, leaders of Asean countries adopted a statement on Science, Technology and Innovation for sustainable economic development, job creation and empowerment of people. She highlighted Asean’s efforts to carry out programmes to support people with disabilities, empower women economically and promote youth development.

She also underlined the significant role of international cooperation, especially the endeavours of Asean and the UN in promoting the Asean Vision 2025 and the UN Agenda 2030, where poverty eradication is a priority field.

Themed ‘ Strategies for eradicating poverty to achieve sustainable development for all’, the UN session meanwhile will last until Feb 7, focusing on sharing the experiences of countries in poverty eradication and evaluating the implementation of the UN action plans and programmes.