UNITED NATIONS: Warning that the gap between the rich and the poor was widening, Pakistan Friday called for a global determination to reduce the proportion of people living in poverty.
"What we need is a sound policy framework and adequate resources at the national and international levels," Ambassador Masood Khan, Permanent representative of Pakistan to the U.N, told the General Assembly, which held a high-level debate on poverty elimination.
In this regard, he said, the United Nations has a role both as a catalyst and a contributor.
Pointing out that poverty exists amidst plenty at the global scale, Masood Khan cited a study by OXFAM, an international aid and development charitable body, which determined that the 85 richest people in the world had wealth equivalent to that of 3.5 billion people.
Eradicating poverty was, therefore, the international community's biggest challenge and, in the post-2015 era, a holistic approach was critical, the Pakistani envoy said.
High growth, with inclusive policies, had a decisive impact on poverty reduction, he told the 193-member assembly.
He strongly endorsed the link between decent work and reducing poverty. Without poverty reduction, the other anti-poverty Millennium Development Goals would not be achieved, the Pakistani envoy said.
Global determination was needed to eradicate extreme poverty. Also crucial was to address deprivations through a holistic agenda, a global framework for promoting economic growth, strong emphasis on job creation, and constructing social floors and social welfare frameworks.
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