Vietnam focuses on sustainable poverty reduction

Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga, head of the Vietnam Mission to the UN

The country has completed the Millennium Development Goal in poverty reduction earlier than schedule, with human development index improved considerably, she said.

Addressing the ongoing 55th session of the Commission for Social Development (CSocD) under the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in New York, the diplomat noted that Vietnam has restructured the economy and modernised agriculture and rural areas in order to improve people’s living conditions and their access to education, health care service, housing, clean water, jobs, and social services, with priority given to disadvantaged groups.

She also underscored the importance of public-private partnership and international cooperation in mobilising resources for poverty eradication, calling on partners to continue supporting Vietnam to reinforce what it has gained and enhance the capacity to build resilience against economic shocks, natural disasters and climate change.

Speaking on behalf of the ASEAN, Nga reiterated the association’s efforts to eradicate poverty and raise the living standards in the region, while stressing that all poverty reduction strategies should be built on the basis of specific demand, priorities and conditions of each country and the region.

ASEAN calls for strengthened global partnership that would include the fulfillment of official development assistance commitments, enhanced capacity-building and technology transfer, and the creation of favourable conditions for developing countries in the formulation and implementation of poverty eradication strategies, she said.

Themed “Strategies for eradicating poverty to achieve sustainable development for all,” the event has drawn special attention of the international community with the attendance of senior officials of many countries as well as representatives of UN agencies and prestigious non-governmental organisations.

According to the UN Secretary-General, about 767 million people, or 10.7 percent of the world’s population, are living under the poverty line with only US$1.9 a day, 300 million of whom are from developed countries. In the US, poor people make up 14.5 percent of its population.

Participants reached a high consensus on comprehensive and multidimensional approach to the building and implementation of poverty reduction strategies to optimise social resources and adjust policies to suit specific conditions of each country.

They also shared their practical experience and effective policies as well as approach to specific groups such as women, the youth, the disabled, and poor people in rural and remote areas.