Putting people at the centre should be the foundation of any poverty
reduction policy, Ambassador Le Hoai Trung, permanent representative of
Vietnam to the United Nations, said at the second session of the
General Assembly Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) recently in New York.
Speaking on behalf
of the Troika (Bhutan, Thailand and Vietnam), the ambassador said
eradicating poverty, which is at heart of the implementation of the
Millennium Development Goals and a key enabler for developing countries
to achieve other goals, must remain the overriding objective of the
Sustainable Development Goals.
He noted that
poverty has become a more complex and multifaceted problem as constantly
changing characteristics of the poor requires efforts to reduce poverty
to be equally responsive, adaptive and sophisticated.
“Governments should focus their support on multiple socio-economic
aspects specifically for the most vulnerable groups who lag behind in
poverty reduction,” Trung said.
The Vietnamese
ambassador also stressed the need for every nation to transform into a
green economy which supports social inclusiveness and environmental
sustainability and in consistence with the level of development in the
context of sustainable development and poverty eradication.
At the same time, access to adequate social protection and support in
adaptation to adverse impacts of natural disasters and climate change
are essential to help the poor avoid falling back into the vicious
circle of poverty, he said.
Earlier, at a debate on
the conceptualization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
Ambassador Trung also presented the Troika’s view, which reiterates that
the guiding principles of the SDGs must be in conformity with
international law and respect all Rio Principles, including the
principle of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities.
“While poverty eradication should remain an overarching goal, the new
framework should also aim to incorporate the following elements:
ensuring sustainability, building resilience and reducing inequality,”
Trung said.
He reaffirmed the Troika’s strong
commitment to engage in international efforts on sustainable
development and poverty eradication. -VNA