Nepal Seeks Global Support To Eradicate Poverty

7 February 2012

Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations, Gyan Chandra Acharya claimed that though Nepal has made tangible progress in terms of reducing poverty, capacity constraints should be looked at to ensure sustained reduction in poverty.

“Nepal’s poverty has reduced from 42 per cent in 1996 to 25.4 per cent in 2009,” told Acharya addressing the fiftieth session of the Commission for Social Development on agenda item 3(a): Poverty Eradication, in New York on Monday.

But despite this progress, our development potentials are constrained by poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment with a low level of economic growth, low level of productivity and human development, said Acharya.

On the same occasion, he called for a comprehensive intervention and a holistic approach with strong and sustained global support to eradicate poverty.

Acharcy said, strong political will, policies, institutions and resources are critical to reducing poverty.

“Poverty eradication and social integration demand courageous political will, inclusive policies and unflinching determination at all levels, together with adequate provisions of resources,” stated Acharya.

While saying that dehumanizing conditions of poverty and hunger coupled with the crisis of youth unemployment severely undermine human and social development, Acharya said that poverty leads towards social exclusion and fuels tensions, threatening peace and stability within the national border and beyond.

Hinting at the report of the Secretary General which states that it would take another 88 years to eradicate extreme poverty, Acharya advocated on The Istanbul Program of Action for the LDCs which underlines that “solidarity and partnership with the poorest, weakest and most vulnerable countries and their people is not only moral and ethical imperatives, but also economic and political ones, which correspond to long-term interests of the international community and serve the cause of peace, security and prosperity”.

SOURCE: THT Online

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